Same Time Next Week
by Shekiah Rosay
Summary: At Mokuba's insistence, Seto attends a meeting for teens dealing with the effects of domestic violence. To his horror, Joey Wheeler's there for the same reason. Forced to share their innermost horrors, they learn that they were never alone after all.
1. You've Got a Friend

Alrighty then! This little story came to me around ten last night. Not owning of the YGO- read, review, and ENJOY! Oh, haha, I added songs to the first five chapters too. Mostly because I needed chapter titles. :P

* * *

It always seemed to end up the same way when Mokuba found out about any of his problems. Poor kid would get all worked up, and finally come up with some kind of crazy solution. That might be why Seto tried so hard to keep them to himself.

Regrettably, this was mostly ineffectual.

This time it had been that dream. That same damned dream. It had been going on for about five years now, recurring every couple of months, but it had recently gotten worse – not to mention more frequent. Maybe it was stress – was he overworking himself? Well, that was nothing new. No matter the cause, it had become far more severe in the last couple of weeks. He hadn't slept the night through in almost a month now – he'd always awaken, shaking and cold, having kicked off all his covers. On rare occasion, he'd even wake up screaming the most bizarre things.

"_No – it's not going to happen again! Please, no!"_

It was one of these times that brought the situation to Mokuba's attention. He mentioned it first over the breakfast table, between bites of yogurt.

"Nii-sama, who were you yelling to last night?"

So Mokuba had heard. Seto inwardly cringed. He assumed an air of innocent surprise.

"Yelling?"

"Uh-huh. You kept saying you were sorry. I came to your room because I thought I heard my name, but when you seemed asleep I left."

"That is strange."

"Do you think it was a nightmare, Nii-sama?"

"I might have been," Seto replied, looking away. Better his brother not become involved…

"Seto, I think I heard _his_ name, too…" Mokuba said hesitantly. Seto tensed slightly.

"Mokuba, I'd really rather not talk about this," he said firmly, picking up his briefcase.

"If you say so, Nii-sama."

However, Mokuba was not to be so easily dissuaded. It continued likewise the next morning.

"Seto," he started, "Did you have the dream again last night?"

Beginning to realize how futile it was to resist his younger brother's well-meaning efforts, Seto answered.

"Yes, the same one. Did I yell again last night?"

"No, you didn't yell, but you were up for a really long time."

"Did I keep you up?" Seto asked, still trying to avoid the topic he knew was inevitable.

"No, I could have gone back to sleep. But I was worried about you, Nii-sama."

"Thank you for your concern, Mokuba, but I think I'll be okay. It's not too serious."

Mokuba paused momentarily.

"I know you dreamed about Gozaburo, Seto."

Seto stood up quickly.

"Mokuba, you know we don't say that name here!" he shouted, color rising to his cheeks.

"Then that was it!" Mokuba said, ready to go to battle over this if need be. On his feet as well, he stood on his tiptoes to get closer to eye-level with his older brother. "It _is_ serious, Nii-sama! That was almost six years ago and you're still having nightmares! You need to talk to somebody!"

"Those things were unspeakable! Who is there to talk to, anyway?" Seto replied, now whispering sharply under his breath.

"There are plenty of people," Mokuba replied. "Like these people."

Pulling a brochure out of his backpack, Mokuba threw it on the table.

"TCEDV?" Seto read the letters on the glossy brochure out loud, a hint of disdain and uncertainty in his voice. "Teens Dealing with the Effects of Domestic Violence?"

"Yes. The counselor gave them to our class a few weeks ago. You should go to a meeting, Nii-sama."

Seto gave Mokuba a look.

"You know as well as I do how these people operate. I don't want or need their pity," he said softly. Neither brother noticed how late they were running for school.

"That might be true, but you do need to talk to somebody who understands."

Seto's resolve lessened as he realized how earnestly his brother was attempting to help him. Terrible as this idea seemed to be, Mokuba had his best interests at heart. He sighed.

"I'll think about it, Mokuba, but I don't make any promises."

* * *

**You've Got A Friend – James Taylor**

_**When you're down and troubled  
and you need a helping hand  
and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.  
Close your eyes and think of me  
and soon I will be there**_

_**To brighten up even your darkest nights.**_

_**You just call out my name,  
and you know wherever I am  
I'll come running, oh yeah baby  
to see you again.**_

_**Winter, spring, summer, or fall,  
all you have to do is call  
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.**_

_**You've got a friend.**_

_**If the sky above you  
should turn dark and full of clouds  
and that old north wind should begin to blow  
Keep your head together and call my name out loud  
and soon I will be knocking upon your door.**_

_**You just call out my name and you know wherever I am  
I'll come running to see you again.  
Winter, spring, summer or fall  
all you got to do is call  
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.**_

_**Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?  
People can be so cold.  
They'll hurt you and desert you.  
Well they'll take your soul if you let them.**_

_**Oh yeah, but don't you let them.**_

_**You just call out my name and you know wherever I am  
I'll come running to see you again.  
**_

_**Oh, don't you know that,  
Winter spring summer or fall,  
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.  
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.**_

_**You've got a friend.**_

_**You've got a friend.  
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.  
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.**_

_**You've got a friend.**_


	2. Wonderful

So basically, Seto Kaiba decided, that was why he was doing this.

It felt bizarre, walking the cold, stone steps to Domino City Community School. It was Saturday and somewhere around nine o'clock. The meeting started at ten, officially, but Seto decided that giving himself a little extra time would be in his best interests. He could walk around, maybe, and buy a drink from a machine. And calm his nerves.

Damnit, why was he so nervous?

It wasn't as though he had issues speaking to crowds. And he doubted there would be a crowd, anyway. It was just talking about _this_. This that he could hardly even talk about to Mokuba. This that he kept buried deep within him, telling himself constantly that he would face up to it tomorrow. Tomorrow, he could handle it.

But today was the tomorrow of one thousand yesterdays.

Dredging up the terrors of his past in front of a group of strangers? Thinking of it this way almost made him turn back around and go straight back to his car. What would they say? How would they take it? He cringed at the thought of a circle of avid stares as he poured out his heart.

Well, no one said he had to contribute, did they?

He'd go. That was all he'd told Mokuba that he was going to do. He would sit in a chair and listen a little. It wasn't as though he was counting on this to help him or change him or end the tirade of nightmares. He would go.

It seemed like hours, but it was really only a few seconds later that Seto reached the large, metal double doors. Taking the handle of one, he opened it and stepped inside. A rush of warm air surrounded him, alleviating momentarily the tight feeling in his chest. It was a nice, warmly lit lobby, with an unoccupied receptionist desk sitting near the wall directly in front of him. A picket sign beside it read 'TDWEDV Meeting in the Theatre'.

Okay, so, it was in the theatre. Following the crudely drawn arrow below the lettering, he set off to the right.

The hallway was dead silent, and his steps clicked somehow ominously on the linoleum. He had worn plain black shoes. They were one of his oldest pairs, but they were newly polished and they matched the dark green slacks and black shirt that he'd decided to wear after much deliberation. He hadn't really wanted to look aloof, per say, but perhaps well-dressed enough that he needn't be the intimidated one.

Finding a large set of doors labeled theatre and testing them to make sure that they weren't locked, Seto was satisfied that his current mission had been accomplished. His cell phone indicated that he had a good forty-five minutes to hang out. At least he had his laptop.

Sitting down in a bench nearby, Seto booted it up and began reading some stock reports. However, after a few minutes, he decided that there wasn't really any use. He'd try to read a page as many as three times and still have no idea regarding its content. So much for that.

Shutting off his laptop and stowing it back in his briefcase, he looked around. There were a few potted plants, and another few benches down the way. For the first time, he noticed a vending machine to his right. He hadn't eaten much that morning.

Seto had wondered, at the time, why he lacked an appetite. Clearly, in retrospect, it was nerves. Mokuba seemed to have known that much at the time also, or he would have pushed Seto more to eat. After all, Seto generally ate well enough, slim though he might be. That was normal for a teenaged boy, right?

He was a teenager, wasn't he?

That in itself sounded weird. Joey Wheeler, people like him – they were teenagers. Mokuba was almost a teenager. Hell, that sounded weird too. But anyway. Seto, a teenager? To him, that label meant so much more than age. It meant he should be thoughtless, careless, go through random phases of bizarre emotion.

Maybe this was one of those bizarre times, if he really was a _teenager_.

Either way, he was feeling a little bit faint. Worrying on an empty stomach is no small feat.

After a few moments of deciding, Seto picked out strawberry Pockey. It had been his favorite as a kid. How many years had it been since then? Far too many – that's all he knew. But then again, had it been enough?

Resuming his spot on the corner bench, Seto finished the Pockey more quickly that he'd anticipated. He had decided long ago to eat the plain end of the Pockey first so that he could end each one on a sweet, frosting-y note. Funny, a good decade later and he was still doing it. Some things must just become too much habit to let go.

Suddenly, sitting there on the bench, Seto felt like a little kid all over again. The sweet taste in his mouth turned quickly bitter as the fear he felt was suddenly far too familiar.

Come to think, he hadn't really been scared since those days.

Walking as calmly as he could to the restroom, he splashed some cool water on his face. He took a few deep breaths. Was it really worth all this? How could this bizarre feeling of vulnerability and discomfort serve to make things _better_? However, Seto reminded himself, he hadn't even gotten into the meeting itself yet. Maybe that would have some more redeeming features. He checked his watch. It was almost a quarter to ten. He could probably go in now, if he wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, Seto left the bathroom and again approached the doors to the theatre.

* * *

**"Wonderful" - Everclear**

** _I close my eyes when I get too sad   
I think thoughts that I know are bad   
Close my eyes and I count to ten   
Hope it's over when I open them   
_**

**_I want the things that I had before   
Like a Star Wars poster on my bedroom door   
I wish I could count to ten   
And make everything be wonderful again _**

**_ I hope my mom and I hope my dad   
Will figure out why they get so mad   
I hear them scream, I hear them fight   
They say bad words that make me want to cry   
_**

**_Close my eyes when I go to bed and I   
Dream of angels who make me smile   
I feel better when I hear them say that   
Everything will be wonderful some day _**

**_ Promises mean everything   
When you're little and the world is so big   
I just don't understand how   
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes   
When you tell me everything is wonderful now _**

**_ Na na nana...   
_**

**_Please don't tell me everthing is wonderful now _**

**_ I go to school and I run and play   
I tell the kids that it's all ok   
I have to laugh so my friends won't know   
When the bell rings I just don't want to go home   
_**

**_Go to my room and I close my eyes   
I make believe that I have a new life   
I don't believe you when you say that   
Everything will be wonderful some day   
_**

**_Promises mean everything   
When you're little and the world is so big (so big)   
I just don't understand how   
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes   
When you tell me everything is wonderful now.   
_**

**_Na na nana... _**

**_No. No. I don't want to hear you tell me everything is wonderful now.   
_**

**_No. No. I don't want to hear you tell me everything is wonderful now.   
I don't want to hear you say that I will understand some day   
No. No. No. No.   
I don't want to hear you say that you both have grown in a different way _**

**_No. No. No. _**

**_No I don't want to meet your friend   
I don't want to start over again   
_**

**_I just want my life to be the same   
Just like it used to be   
Some days, I hate everything   
I hate everything   
Everyone and everything _**

**_ Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now. _**


	3. Secrets

None of the OCs here are Mary Sues – they're PLOT DEVICES. ALL OF THEM. So, yeah! Kudos to those of you who catch the Suzanne Vega tribute in the middle of the chappie. I guess I disclaim that, too. To those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, download the Suzanne Vega song called 'Luka'. Good stuff! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

As Seto stepped though the doors, the first thing he noticed was the group of people that milled around. There were five or so there already, and it was fifteen minutes before time to start. Logically, that meant that the group would get pretty large. He couldn't really decide if that would be better or worse. It would essentially eliminate the awkwardness factor, but that many more people would have this new story to spread.

Seto Kaiba, national Duel Monsters champion and heir to the Kaiba fortune, at a meeting for beat-up kids. Nice. Real nice.

Looking to think of something slightly less depressing, he took notice of how the meeting area was arranged. There was a circle of maroon chairs up on the stage. Beside the steps that led up, there was a table with a coffee maker and some creamer and sugars. Overall, it looked surprisingly welcoming.

Seto walked slowly down one of the aisles towards the table with the coffee, where most of the people there had clustered. He was rather unsure and trying not to show it. However, this burden was very soon lifted by a lady all but skipping towards him.

At a first glance, she seemed downright weird. Her hair was very short, and very pink. It stuck up in spikes, accenting her lip ring quite nicely. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, and wore blue jeans and a neon green t-shirt.

"Hi!" she exclaimed, meeting him about halfway. "My name is Luka. I'm the moderator today."

Luka did not seem to notice Seto's discomfort at her demeanor and appearance. Or maybe she was just used to this kind of thing. Either way, she was quite unabashed. Feeling an awkward obligation to introduce himself, Seto spoke.

"My name is Seto Kaiba," he said, trying to keep a neutral expression.

"Nice to meet you, Seto – hey, don't I know you from somewhere? Were you on, like, TV or something?"

Seto was now more uncomfortable than ever, but he made himself continue the conversation.

"Yes, actually. A few nights ago."

"Hey!" Luka exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Are you like KaibaCorp Kaiba? _The_ Kaiba?"

"I guess you could say that."

As was his nature, the more discomfort Seto experienced, the more withdrawn he became. Now he sounded downright cold.

"Wow..." Luka whispered, sounding kind of excited. "So you're here for the meeting?"

Seto nodded, no longer making eye contact.

"Oh…" Luka grimaced a little, leaning on one of the audience chairs. "I'm freaking you out to the extreme, aren't I? Sorry about that. I have that affect on people sometimes. Just ask Suz or Joey. You'll get used to it soon enough."

'_Joey?_' Seto wondered. Hmmm. It was a common name. And Joey Wheeler wasn't the beat-up kid type, anyway. He was too happy for that.

"…but it's great to have you with us today. We'll start in ten minutes or so. Just get some coffee and introduce yourself to the kids that are here. The regulars sometimes come a few minutes early to help me set up chairs. And they also get the first pick of the coffee."

'_No,'_ Seto thought. _'I think __you__ get the first pick of the coffee.'_

However, he just nodded and walked over to the table.

Silently, he picked up one of the Styrofoam cups. Filling it about halfway full with the decaf, he stopped to debate. Creamer… Sugar… No, not today. It was a regular coffee kind of a day.

He noticed a stack of self-adhesive nametag stickers and a permanent marker sitting to the left. Okay, so he needed a nametag. Lovely. Filling one out, he placed it on his lapel.

"Hey. Is this your first meeting?" he heard a nearby voice ask softly. Not knowing quite how to react, he looked up and nodded.

"Hi. My name's Susan. But you can call me Suz. That's what Luka and the kids here call me. I see yours is Seto. It's nice to meet you."

The girl talking to him now was not quite to Luka's degree on the abnormality-scale, but she was definitely strange enough in her own way. She wore a black, sleeveless, knee-length dress over a long-sleeved white blouse with a turtleneck. Seto immediately understood the turtleneck. He had worn enough of those in his own day. Winter clothes were the best – for hiding bruises, anyway. Suz's long black hair was down, framing her frighteningly calm face.

"You'll like Luka. She's a little overwhelming at first, but she's really nice. She's been through hell and back, you know. Most of us have."

With a little nod, Suz turned and walked away. Seto noticed suddenly that he hadn't said a single word in that entire conversation. Picking up his coffee, he walked up to the stage and took a seat. It was cold up here. He drew his leather jacket more tightly around him. Stowing his briefcase below the chair, he watched the entrance to see who would come in. A few more wandered in, some even looking halfway normal. These were contrary to his experience so far. Actually, they were all sorts of people. About the most random cross-section of teenagers that one would find anywhere. But they definitely had something in common.

Finally, the meeting began.

"So… Good morning everybody!" Luka exclaimed, standing in the middle of the circle of about twenty teens.

"Good morning, Luka," they all chorused. Suddenly, right after they had finished, the sound of feet pounding came from outside the door. Rolling her eyes, Luka turned around to face the theatre doors.

"Good morning, Joey," they all chorused, many laughing. The doors were thrown open, and to Seto's horror, it was none other than Joey Wheeler standing between them, looking rather winded but nevertheless triumphant.

Seto felt slightly ill. Why Joey _Wheeler_, of all people?! If he had known that, he _definitely_ wouldn't have come. And, as he had decided before, Joey definitely wasn't the 'beaten-kid' stereotype. He had friends – lots of them. He didn't flinch backwards a few inches whenever he saw someone take off a leather belt in the school locker room. Joey, aside from the occasional outburst, was about as normal as normal got.

And moreover, he wasn't supposed to be here either way. Seto looked for an exit. No discreet one in sight. Well. He just wouldn't talk. That was all.

"Hey kids!" Joey shouted, despite the fact that many of those gathered were his age or older. "I _am_ here, and look what I remembered!"

Joey triumphantly held up a box of donut holes.

"Let's hear a round of applause for Joey," Luka said, sarcastic but seemingly cheerful none the less. The group clapped enthusiastically.

"'Bout time!" one of the boys called.

"Ah shut it, Zell," Joey replied, throwing his jacket in one of the audience chairs and making his way up to the stage. Luka began her introduction again.

"So as we were saying before we were so rudely interrupted – "

"Hey! I brought donuts!" Joey shouted back, acting as though he was offended but having to make an effort so that his smile wouldn't give it away. Handing them to the boy that had yelled to him earlier, Zell, they made their way around the circle.

"Yes, I know, Joey," Luka siged. "Thank you. But in all seriousness, we're running about ten minutes late. We need to start."

Joey started to shrug diffidently, but stopped midway. For the first time, he noticed Kaiba. His face changed from his former joking cheerfulness to a stormy confusion. Quickly shaking his head and taking an empty seat across the room from Kaiba, he sat down. Seto saw the inquiring looks Joey sent in his direction, but belligerently looked the other way.

Joey was inwardly seething as well. These were his people. This was his sanctuary. How dare he, Seto Kaiba, come and invade this part of Joey's life. And besides, what did Kaiba have that he didn't need, anyway? He seemed to being doing just fine.

But then again, what about all the coldness, the emptiness, the lack of capacity for caring, _the need for control_? Joey had to admit, he was chilled at how many questions this answered.

But that didn't change anything. Kaiba still wasn't supposed to be here. End of story.

Luka, in turn, broke Joey's reverie.

"Okay. Now, we can start. I see we have a couple of new people. Do you want to introduce yourselves?"

* * *

"**Secrets" – Good Charlotte**

_**In the dark  
In the darkness you will find  
Dirty little secrets we all hide  
Cause we all have a darker side  
A place we keep where no one else will find**_

_**Cause everybody wants to hide their secrets away  
Nobody wants to stand up to the pain  
But I will...**_

_**Stand up to the pain  
Wake up and fight again  
If you could  
Dance with me through this rain  
We will fight  
We'll fight again  
Fight again**_

_**In the back  
In the closets of your mind  
That's where skeletons and dirty secrets hide  
And I'll rip out my insides  
And leave them on display for you tonight**_

_**Cause everybody wants to hide their secrets away  
Nobody wants to stand up to the pain  
But I will...**_

_**Stand up to the pain  
Wake up and fight again  
If you could  
Dance with me through this rain  
We will fight  
We'll fight again  
Fight again  
(Fight again)**_

_**All my life I hide my secrets away  
In the dark  
In the dark  
In the dark**_

_**We all try to hide our secrets away  
In the dark  
In the dark  
In the dark**_

_**Stand up to the pain  
Wake up and fight again  
If you could  
Dance with me through this rain  
We will fight  
We'll fight again  
Fight again  
Fight again**_

_**Cause everybody wants to hide their secrets away  
And that's okay  
Nobody wants to stand up to the pain  
And fight again**_


	4. Reject

'_She said "want to",'_ Seto thought, _'but I think it's probably expected.'_

He didn't look in Luka's direction because he knew that she must be looking pointedly at him. However, a girl sitting by Susan raised her hand.

"Thank you!" Luka exclaimed. "What's your name, hon?"

"I'm Amy," she said quietly. She had wide blue eyes and wore a baggy black sweater that fell almost to her knees. Her jeans were somewhat tight and had flared cuffs, but they didn't flatter her very thin figure.

"Good morning, Amy," the group chorused.

"So who told you about us, Amy?" Luka asked, hoping to comfort the girl into openly talking with them.

"My friend's brother went here awhile ago. He told me about you all."

"Really?" Luka asked, smiling interestedly. "What's his name?"

"Jericho," Amy replied, looking up for what might have been the first time. Pleased recognition sounded from the group.

"I love Jericho!" Luka exclaimed. "He helped build this program, two years ago. He's away at college now, but he still comes to visit sometimes."

Amy nodded, smiling a little.

"We'll share testimonies near the end of today, and you can go if you want, Amy," Luka said warmly. "I know there's another newbie. Seto, don't be shy."

Joey looked up in partially disguised disdain as this name was said. Seto nodded, looking up and speaking for the first time.

"My name's Seto Kaiba," he started, trying to make his voice sound unaffected.

"Good morning, Seto," the group chorused. A slight buzz of recognition sounded now, also. However, there was a bit of confusion mixed in.

"Are you, like, _the_ Seto Kaiba?" a girl across from him asked excitedly.

"The one with KaibaCorp and stuff?" the boy beside her added.

"Actually, I am," Seto replied through his teeth, extremely uncomfortable at having been put on the spot.

Again, Luka intervened.

"Calm down guys. You're freaking him out. And you know that's my job."

The laughter that ensued alleviated the situation.

"So how did you hear about us, Seto?" Luka asked, receiving the donuts holes and taking out a glazed one before passing them to the boy on her left.

"My little brother gave me a brochure that his school counselor passed out," Seto replied, looking around the circle awkwardly. He saw Joey nod a little and almost smile grimly despite his disdain, as though not surprised that this was Mokuba's doing.

"Well, same goes for you, Seto," Luka said, "I mean, about the testimony. We usually have one of our veterans go first, so it won't be too awkward. We all have nametags, so don't be afraid to call us by name if you need us."

"Yeah, Luka. Which is kind of lame on weeks we don't have any new people," the boy on her left, whose nametag said 'Derrick' commented. Luka rolled her eyes again.

"Just ignore him. It's open forum time! How was everybody's week at school?"

A few 'good's were heard, as well as few sighs of frustration. Luka nodded knowingly.

"High school sucks sometimes, guys. That's why it's a big deal when you finally graduate. How many seniors do we have this year?"

A few hands went up. Derrick, a girl named Christie, and a short boy that sat somewhat out of the circle.

"That's exciting! You all _have _to come back and visit. As many of you know, I'm graduating from Domino Tech School this year."

Cheers and applause sounded.

"Yeah, I know. It's really exciting. You all need to come, because all my colleagues are like fifty and they all have teenage kids coming. I'd feel kinda lame. And none of them like my pink hair, either."

Derrick put his arm around Luka.

"They're just jealous," he assured. "It's freakin' awesome."

"Thank you, Derrick," Luka smiled. "And don't any of you worry – they'll still let us meet here once I've graduated. But really. Who has a story from this week that they wanna share?"

No hands went up.

"You guys are asleep this week. There's coffee down there, you know," Luka said.

"We've all had coffee," Christie said, sighing. Luka stood up.

"Then I think we need a game."

A chorus of loud sighs were heard. The boy beside Seto leaned over to him and whispered, "Luka's games are a little bit scary."

Seto wasn't sure if he wanted to play a scary game.

"I think we could start with a game of 'trust'. Find a partner, folks."

Laughing and scrambling for their friends, the groups formed. Joey was with Zell, and Christie teamed up with Amy.

"Wanna be partners?" the boy that had whispered to Seto earlier asked. His nametag said 'Jack'.

"I actually think I'll just sit this one out," Seto replied, not really making eye contact. Jack shrugged, looking a little put-off.

"Suit yourself."

Seto watched the game with a bizarre, unattached feeling. It wasn't too _scary_, it mostly seemed dumb. They'd take turns falling backward and letting their partner catch them. On one occasion, Zell stepped out of the way. Joey probably would have hit the floor if Luka hadn't been standing nearby, presumably waiting for this kind of situation from those two.

"Zell, you really are defeating the purpose, honey," she grunted, pushing Joey back to his feet and trying not to laugh.

"Sorry, Luka. You know he deserved it."

"I don't doubt it," Luka replied. "But that's not the point. There's this whole ulterior motive to the game that has something to do with you guys learning to _trust_, and that might be a little screwed if Wheeler here cracks his head open."

The group laughed again, and Amy even giggled a little tentatively. Seto, however, sat stationary, his arms crossed. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want Joey to be here, and he didn't want to play this game. Luka must have noticed his reticence, but she knew better than to push him.

The game dissolved now, and the teens were just talking amongst themselves.

Seto again refrained, feeling as though he had little to say to any of them. He had pretty much had it. He was so far above this. Joey, however, had pretty much had it as well. He walked over, sitting in a chair across from Seto.

"Hey, just because you're some huge badass celebrity doesn't give you the right to shove the rest of us off, you know."

Seto shrugged.

"I never said it did."

"Oh yeah?" Joey asked. "You know what people are saying, don't you? Some of them think you're just here to shove all of your money and all in our faces. I don't know why you're here, exactly, but I know you well enough to know that there's some secret motive. Like hell you're actually here for the meeting."

Seto gave him a disgusted look.

"Well I think we all know you're not here to flaunt _your _cash, Wheeler."

Joey was fuming. He stood up.

"No, actually, I'm here because my dad's an alcoholic in denial and I've put up with his _crap_ for the last ten years. I'm over it now, but I want to help people that aren't."

Seto was slightly shocked, but he was too angry to let this affect his game.

"Well, Joey, has it occurred to you that I don't give a damn what any of you think? Any second I want to, I could walk out and my convertible would be waiting for me outside. I could go back to my life and forget about all of you."

"Well then," Joey said, smiling icily. "Why don't you?"

Seto reacted the way he generally did when he had been backed into a corner.

"Mind your own business, Wheeler, and let me take care of mine."

* * *

"_**Reject" – Green Day**_

_**Who the hell are you to tell me what I am  
And what's my master plan  
What makes you think that it includes you?  
Self-righteous wealth  
Stop flattering yourself  
So when the smoke clears here I am  
Your reject all-American**_

_**Sucking up your social sect  
Making you a nervous wreck  
To hell and back and hell again I've gone  
You're not my type  
Not my type**_

_**What's the difference between you and me?  
I do what I want, and you do what you're told  
So listen up and shut the hell up  
It ain't no big deal  
And I'll see you in hell  
So when the smoke clears here I am  
Your reject all-American**_

_**Falling from grace, right on my face  
To hell and back and hell again I've gone.**_


	5. Because of You

Luka had noticed the boys' heated conversation, but she had decided to let it be. Seto looked like he needed to let off a little steam, and Joey could handle it. If she got between them, their spat would only become drawn out. At least this way, they could get it done with and move on.

"Alright, alright, it's time to start back," she finally called. "Zell, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I think Derrick's had enough by now. Don't read so far into these games."

Zell laughed, shoving Derrick playfully.

"Zell!" Luka exclaimed, looking slightly angry for the first time.

"Sorry, Luka," Zell said, genuinely sounding it. There was a strict ordinance against any physical violence here. That was Luka's only major rule. They all knew he was only playing, but for some of the kids it could still be upsetting.

"It's fine, Zell," Luka replied, patting his shoulder. "Let's just get back into the circle here, okay?"

The chairs were pulled back together, and Seto and Joey no longer faced one another.

"Okay, guys," Luka said. "It's been fun, but we've gotta get going here eventually."

"Testimony time?" Amy asked quietly.

"You got it, honey. I am going to preface this the same way I always do, though. How about we recite the group's maxim?"

The group agreed and got to their feet.

"Oh and since we _do_ have some new people this week," Luka shot a pointed look of fake frustration at Derrick, "can you explain what our maxim is?"

"Yup, can-do," Derrick replied, giving Luka a sweet, innocent smile. "A maxim is, you know, pretty much like a statement of what you believe. A motto. A few years ago when the program was new, some of us made up one that says what we think this is all about. You guys'll learn it in no time, but just listen for now."

"Great job, Derrick," Luka smiled genuinely. "I'll start. We can do it as a 'repeat after me' deal, for Amy and Seto."

"I believe…" she began.

"I believe…" the group repeated.

"That what has happened in my life is not my fault."

"That what has happened in my life is not my fault."

"And it will not keep me…"

"And it will not keep me…"

"From being the person that I know I can be."

"From being the person that I know I can be."

Seto wasn't really repeating what they said, but he was listening. He was what he _was_ because of all the crap he'd put up with from Gozaburo. It wasn't _keeping_ him from doing or being anything at all. Or was it? Success comes on many different levels. He had monetary success, but there was more to life than that. But he had his brother. And he loved him. And that was all he needed. Wasn't it? He didn't really _need_ to trust people. That would just make things harder. Wouldn't it?

This was just creating more questions. Back to the maxim.

"And I am not weak or stupid…"

"And I am not weak or stupid…"

"If I come to other people for help."

"If I come to other people for help."

With this said, Luka raised up one fist.

"Power to the people!" she shouted, grinning.

"POWER TO THE PEOPLE!" the group thundered.

They collapsed into a fit of laughter.

Amy looked around wonderingly, and Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry guys," Luka laughed. "There's a story there, too. One time when Zell and Derrick were leading this about a month ago, they just added that in at the end. Everybody was still repeating them, so we all said it without thinking. It was, like, the funniest thing ever. And we've done it ever since."

Amy laughed hesitantly (she seemed to do everything hesitantly), and watched Seto to see if he would do likewise. He did his best, but somehow it came out looking more like a derisive smirk. Surprise.

"Okay guys, back to serious. Wow, we suck at serious," Luka said, still trying not to laugh. However, her next words sobered the group considerably. "Now we're really doing testimonies. As always, I need one of our long-time members to help me out here. Anybody?"

"I just did last week," Christina said, exonerating herself from the position.

"Yes, and I think I did the week before," Suz ventured in her soft-spoken way. Luka looked around.

"Amelia, Zell, and Joey. It's been a little while. Any of you up to it?"

Joey looked at Seto, who gave him a sarcastic smile. Joey seemed to take this as a challenge.

"Alright," Joey said, standing up. "I'll do it."

"Thanks Joey," Luka replied, taking his seat as he took her place at the gap in the semicircle. Joey took a long time to walk over there, his hands in his pockets. When he finally got there, he took a deep breath and looked up slowly from the floor as though psyching himself up for what he was about to do. And also, perhaps, as a challenge to Seto.

"Okay folks," Joey started, "some of you have already heard this. Actually, probably most of you. And for _most _of those of you who haven't, it's probably close enough to your own anyway."

At the word 'most', Joey shot Seto another quick look. Seto scowled now, becoming quite offended. Was Joey really stupid enough to think that there wasn't the slightest possibly that he, Seto, had lived through something like this? Seto saw evidence in every aspect of himself. In his looks, his actions, his words… perhaps that's why he was so rarely a social person. But enough of that. Let's see how Joey's story measured up.

'_Impress me,' _Seto mouthed to Joey, who may or may not have caught his actual words. Either way, Joey took it the way that it had been intended.

"Okay…" Joey repeated, again sighing. "Like probably most of you, it started with my dad. He was an alcoholic. He didn't really start getting bad about it until my mom was pregnant with my little sister, back when I was about three. I'd hear him get in at night – with the doors slamming and all it was kind of hard to miss. I'd always wander into my mom's room, and hold her hand. Sometimes we'd lock the door. It depended on how of shape he was in."

Suz was nodding, her eyes lowered in empathy for Joey's plight. He paused before continuing in an equally monotone voice.

"At first it was once a month or so, and then it became once a week. It got to the point where we'd sometimes spend the night with my aunt – my mom's sister. But then again, we didn't always pick the right nights. My dad, you know, he didn't usually take it out on me. I mean, I was a three-year-old kid. But my mom really had it bad. I remember like yesterday the first time I saw a bruise on her cheek and asked her how it had happened. She said that Daddy had gotten angry last night. Y'know, at the time, I didn't really know what that had to do with the bruise at all. I didn't really figure that much out until I actually saw it happen. I was four then. By that time, my sister was born."

Seto shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This testimony was already hitting close to home, and he could tell that Joey was barely getting into it. Somehow, he didn't want to have anything in common with Joey. It was like then he would have to like him – or at least approve of him. And Seto didn't like liking people. If that made any sense at all. Joey continued, breaking Seto's reverie.

"My sister was born a preemie – for obvious reasons. She had a few birth defects, mostly her eyes. She just had surgery recently, and some of you guys were there with me. Anyway, my dad kept this kind of shit – sorry, Luka – this kind of _stuff _up until I was like seven – and my mom finally had enough. She thought _she_ was the problem, and if she left it would be okay. She took her baby girl with her, but she thought I'd make it on my own. They were kinda strapped, money-wise – they borrowed from that aunt we used to stay with. And besides, like I said, she thought that if she left, he'd stop it. Boy was she wrong."

Luka stood up to walk over to Joey, but he held up his hand and motioned her to stop – he could handle this on his own.

"He was really mad the morning after they left, when he realized what had happened – that was the worst it ever was. When he got home, I was playing card games in my room. I heard the door slam and knew I was in for it. Yeah, it was really bad. I won't go into too much detail, but I skipped school for a few days afterwards. There was no way I was gonna let anybody there see me like that. It wasn't so much the bruises – seven-year-old boys _get _bruises. It was more because I was terrified – of my dad and of the world. Sometime that week, after stuff got back to normal, I realized that I could run away – simple as that. I had been at my best friend Tristan's house playing video games, and when it was almost bedtime and I was supposed to leave, I told them that I wouldn't go. I just sat there."

Joey's eyes seemed a little misted over, but he blinked and continued. Seto was beginning to feel sick with sympathy – sympathy. And for _Joey._

"So, his mom thought it was a joke, and all – but then I started crying. I was like screaming. _I wasn't going back home_. So she called, like, D-Facts or whatever. But there wasn't enough evidence to get my dad into any kind of trouble. And the whole thing made him even madder. The next few years were total hell on earth. I'd really rather not go into that. But it's mostly over. Now he usually comes home sober – except on holidays and stuff like that. And I took weight training at school, so I can hold my own. I guess that's all I've got."

"Thanks Joey," Luka said softly, putting her arm around his shoulders and walking him back to his seat. "It's so hard to tell stuff like this – no matter how many times you've done it before. Believe me, I know – I'm headed for a psychiatric degree. Every time I go to a seminar, it's another group of strangers demanding to know why I'm passionate about helping people. This means I have to tell my own story… again. But it helps. It doesn't feel like it now, but it really, really does. Do either of our new people feel like they could go now that the floor's warmed up?"

Joey, through his angry tears, gave Seto a defiant look, as though daring him to say something. With this, all of the sympathy that Seto had felt only moments before hardened once more to his former distance and animosity. Seto knew one thing – he wasn't going to let Joey see him get scared out of standing up there and spilling – not after that.

So there.

"I'll go," Seto announced, walking unshaken and purposefully over to where Joey had stood only moments before.

* * *

"**Because of You" – Kelly Clarkson**

_**I will not make the same mistakes that you did  
I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery  
I will not break the way you did  
You fell so hard**_

_**I've learned the hard way, to never let it get that far.**_

_**Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side  
So I don't get hurt**_

_**Because of you  
I find it hard to trust  
Not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid**_

_**I lose my way  
And it's not too long before you point it out  
I cannot cry  
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes**_

_**I'm forced to fake, a smile, a laugh  
Every day of my life  
My heart can't possibly break  
When it wasn't even whole to start with**_

_**Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side  
So I don't get hurt**_

_**Because of you  
I find it hard to trust  
Not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you**_

_**I am afraid...**_

_**I watched you die  
I heard you cry  
Every night in your sleep  
I was so young  
You should have known better than to lean on me**_

_**You never thought of anyone else  
You just saw your pain**_

_**And now I cry  
In the middle of the night**_

_**For the same damn thing...**_

_**Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side  
So I don't get hurt**_

_**Because of you  
I tried my hardest just to forget everything  
Because of you  
I don't know how to let anyone else in  
Because of you  
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty**_

_**Because of you  
I am afraid**_

_**Because of you.**_


	6. How to Save a Life

_Authoress's Note_

I'm psyched about all of the feedback I'm getting on this! Ya'll are SO awesome! . All-you-can-eat digital strawberry mousse Pocky for all of you!

**Oh, by the way: this fic has its own soundtrack!!! I've made it up myself – yay me! Hahaha...  
**

**It kinda makes sense: like if this fic was a movie, what song would be playing in the background. I don't own any of the songs on it, either, just to make a general disclaimer – they're mostly your average mainstream rock/punk rock songs. This chapter and each one to follow will have its own song.**

**Same Time Next Week Soundtrack**

**Chapter Six, Track 1: "How to Save a Life" – The Fray**

* * *

CHAPTER 6 (NOT the last chapter, either! )

* * *

"My name is Seto Kaiba, as I've said before," Seto started, keeping his mouth set in a narrow line and his arms crossed. Ironic how he looked and acted so much as Gozaburo had – and Gozaburo was the reason that he was here. However, he continued unflinchingly. "Some of you know me, of course – I'm the CEO of KaibaCorp. But I haven't always been so well-known." 

Joey sat back, almost pleased that Seto was acting the way he was. He sounded like he was reading some pompous, best-seller account of his life so far. If he really was just a stuck-up jerk (which was certainly the way he was coming across now) Joey could hate him in peace. But let him go on. Joey was interested in where this was going.

"My mom died when I was very young, my father soon to follow. My younger brother, Mokuba, and I ended up in an orphanage. I imagine some of you have also been in that situation – those of you who have know how terrible conditions there are. My escape was in playing chess. I would sit for hours at a time, figuring out the perfect moves and the ideal strategy. Mokuba would watch. We'd make a couple hundred yen now and then by betting the other boys that I could beat them. The former CEO of KaibaCorp witnessed one of these times. He was intrigued to say the least, and offered to play me as well. I'm not going to lie – it wasn't an easy win. But it was a win none the less."

The group whispered hesitantly amongst themselves. Where _was _this going? Seto seemed to neither notice nor care.

"He adopted me after that – his reasons were quite bizarre. Apparently, I was the perfect likeness of his supposedly deceased son, Noa. In mind and appearance. He was determined to take me home and train me to be the heir to KaibaCorp. However, our first argument happened when I refused to go without Mokuba."

Joey clenched and unclenched his fists unconsciously. The way that Seto mentioned Mokuba brought to mind his feelings about Serenity. This was a part where his story bizarrely paralleled Kaiba's. But enough of that. They had nothing in common – and weren't going to.

"I guess there was some part of his compassion that hadn't died yet," Seto continued bitterly. Now his emotion was starting to show a little more than he had intended it to. "Because he let me bring Mokuba along. When we got to his house, neither of us could believe it – we'd never seen anything like it. As we walked through the rooms, it looked like heaven. There was plenty of room, plenty of food, plenty of computers and games – and they were all ours. We didn't have to share or worry about having enough. But we didn't know what we were in for.

"The first time I ever saw him really get mad was the next morning, when he found Mokuba playing one of the duel monsters games. Apparently they were just prototypes and we weren't supposed to touch them or mess with them. I remember it like it was yesterday – one second Mokuba was happy, playing the game, the next – he was on the ground crying. I didn't even know what had happened!"

Seto looked up now, blinking rapidly. He noticed that he was talking faster and faster.

"And that was just the beginning. Every morning I'd see Mokuba at breakfast, but not again until midnight or so – and that's if I was lucky. Sometimes I'd have to work straight through until two or three AM, and if I tried to sleep late the next morning, I'd be in for it all over again. Bruises, burning, the works. I can't really recall a day when there wasn't at least a little bit of blood. He'd stand over me as I worked, with a ruler in his hand. If my eyelids drooped, I'd hear it crack lightly on the palm of his hand. If they closed, it would be cracked hard across the top of mine. I was twelve then."

Seto shuddered.

"It didn't end there, though. One time we tried to run away – I'd been planning it for months. I placed bets on Duel Monsters games at school, much as I had with chess before. Every cent that I didn't spend on food on the way home – I really didn't have much time to eat otherwise – went into a loose board in the back of my closet that I hadn't even told Mokuba about. I know that we could have stolen from him, but I didn't want that hanging over my head. It wasn't a good idea, no matter how you looked at the situation. I'd spent hours plotting this. And again, understand how precious time was at that point. We were going to get on a bus and just ride, for at least a day. Then we'd be so far away nobody cared anymore. I could get a job, and we'd find an apartment or some other kind of place to stay. Worst case-scenario, I figured, we'd end up back where we started from. The orphanage, a foster home, _anything_ would be better than this hell. Finally the day came. When I left for school that morning I'd taken all of the spare money – which amounted to a substantial handful of yen – and put it in a secret pocket that I'd cut into the hem of my jacket. That afternoon after school was over, instead of turning to go home, Mokuba and I took a left to go to the bus station. Just as we neared the block on the other side of the street, a black limo pulled up behind us. I heard a voice inside say _'Get in the car'_ and chills ran down my spine. But heaven knows I did as I was told."

Seto paused and took a deep breath as a tear ran down Christina's cheek. Derrick put his arm around her. They all listened intently. Seto's resolve, however, was beginning to shake. He hadn't been ready for this; this was nothing like him! He had just reacted and stood up to spite Joey. He hadn't ever told this out loud before; he was getting into the part that he hadn't even admitted to himself. However, unwilling to give in to his better judgment, Seto pushed forward. Now the words were just tumbling out; it was stuff that he'd never thought back on after it happened – he had blocked it out. It was as though it had happened to somebody else entirely. The ground below him was growing shaky and his resolve was shrinking smaller by the second.

"One night, about a week after our attempted run-away, I got home from school to find Mokuba crying. At first I thought that he had just skinned his knee at school again – little did I know what was coming. It was the worst thing. He told me to go away, pretend I hadn't gotten back at all. If I had known what was going to happen, I really might have run. I hope I wouldn't have, but I might have. Then I had no idea. I wasn't leaving him. About that time, we saw the shadow come into the room again and …"

Seto's voice trailed off, his eyes fixed on something not in that room, but in the distance. Something in his voice became far-away and unknown. His next few words seemed as though he were in a trance.

"The bruises hadn't even healed from the day at the bus stop…" he said softly, his voice sounding young and innocent. "Why did he do that? What good did it do?"

Suddenly, Seto was nine years old all over again. He was there, in that horribly quiet living room, waiting for the terrible pain and humiliation that he knew was coming, the hurt that he couldn't do anything to stop. As the adrenaline pumped, his fight-flight reflex began to kick in. But there was nobody there to be fought – not now. His chance had passed. He hadn't run then, when he had the chance, and he'd had to take the pain for it. He wasn't going to take the pain again.

Stepping to his seat wordlessly and taking his briefcase, Seto barely saw the group sit in awed horror as he picked it up and walked off the stage. For the first few steps, he walked calmly as he always did. As he neared the center of the row of seats, however, he broke into a run. As the auditorium doors slammed behind him, the group looked around at one another helplessly. Luka was the first to come to her senses. Her voice shook.

"I'm following him. Guys, just talk – or something like that. I'll be right back."

They nodded and watched her walk quickly from the stage, breaking into a run almost as Seto had only moments before. She knew that he was leaving, and wanted to catch him on the way out. She couldn't let him go home – or go anywhere, for that matter – in the state that he was now.

Seto ran blindly back through the hallway, by the vending machine, down to the lobby, into the parking lot. The car, the car… Where the hell had he parked it, anyway? Finally, though his vision was clouded over, he managed to spot the shiny convertible in a spot far off from all the others.

Clicking the button to unlock it and throwing himself into the driver's seat, Seto sat for a moment. The thoughts started coming normally again – the vault was sealed back up. And it never should have been opened, never should have been touched. There was a reason it had been locked for so, so long.

Now he was thinking normally again. School was coming back, work was coming back. The people at the meeting – they had come back too. But he didn't want to think about that anymore.

Leaning his head down onto the steering wheel, he took a few deep breaths. His stupid, stupid pride. That was Gozaburo's fault, too. Seto Kaiba had been taught politeness by being treated rudely, honesty by being constantly lied to, and pride by being deeply shamed.

And most painful of all, _it had all worked._

Seto wouldn't – _couldn't _– connect with anybody. And this was exactly how Gozaburo had wanted it to be. The less reliant you are on others, the more powerful you are yourself. And power was everything.

But despite all of the years of pain, fear, and suffering that had been used to compound this into Seto's brain, he knew in his heart of hearts that it simply wasn't the case. People were meant to love and be loved, to laugh and make one another laugh. But was it worth all of the _shit _that came along with it?

Somehow, it seemed like it had to be.

"Seto!" a voice behind him called.

His heart still pumping, Seto jammed his key into the ignition. Just as he was about to rev up the car, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Seto," the voice repeated, now seeming winded from running and exhausted from worry.

Not turning around, Seto looked in his rearview mirror. Luka. Of course. Didn't these people ever quit? He had nothing to say to her – he'd been humiliated enough for one day. Now all that was left to do was to drive home and shut himself in his office, alone to work away the hurt.

"You can't spend your life running from this," Luka said softly.

Seto took a deep breath and collected his emotions before turning around, a familiar smirk again overtaking his features.

"Is that what they tell you at shrink-school?" he asked coolly, raising an eyebrow.

"Chill out, Kid," Luka sighed, walking over and taking a seat in the passenger side of his car. "What the hell _do_ you have to prove, anyway?"

Seto knew that she hadn't just told him to _chill out_ – and called him 'Kid' – in the same sentence. And to top it all off, she had just taken a seat in his convertible, without his permission. Who did she think she was? He gave her an incredulous look, which she promptly ignored.

"I'm not gonna lie to you – you need a lot of help," she said, crossing her arms. "And no, that isn't from shrink-school. There, they tell us to tell everybody that they're really okay. But that's all _crap_, because nobody's really okay."

"If _you're_ not even 'okay,' as you put it, what makes you think you can help other people?" Seto asked calmly, still staring her down. Luka didn't miss a beat.

"Seto, if I was 'okay,' I would be zero help to _anybody_. Did you ever wonder why you had to live with what you did for so long?"

Seto looked down. What kind of a question was that? Aside from a downright obvious one. Clearly she knew this much, for she assumed his answer.

"I have too – for all of my life. And I've finally found my calling: reaching out to people like Joey and Susan. And you, Seto."

"I don't need anybody 'reaching out' to me," Seto said, becoming again defensive. Luka shook her head, her pink hair catching the sun very oddly. If he weren't so offended at her disrespect and presumptuousness, Seto might have laughed.

"Seto," Luka sighed, "anybody who would say that needs reaching out to more than anybody."

Seto paused as his anger flared up again. Was there no getting out of this conversation? He said the first thing that came to mind. He surprised himself with the volume and intensity it carried with it.

"Damn it, why don't you call me 'Kaiba' like everybody else?" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the wheel of his car in frustration at being backed into a corner. Luka laughed silently, almost to herself.

"Because that's just another defensive mechanism you've developed over the years – when people call you by your first name, it makes you vulnerable. They might actually be learning something about you and becoming a part of your life," she explained patiently, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. Funny; he hadn't even noticed that it had been shaking.

"I just can't do this," he said, becoming more and more certain of his words. "I can't tell this stuff, I can't come here and see these people, _I just can't do it_."

Luka placed a hand on his shoulder, all but forcing him to make eye contact. As he looked up, his cold, lonely blue eyes locked with her sharply intent brown ones.

"Seto, you're not a 'can't' kind of a person," she said firmly. "I can tell that about you. No, don't freak out on me. It's the truth. Anything you believe you can't do, it's because somebody's told you that. But you're the one that decided to believe them, whether you admit it or not. I'm not saying you _have_ to do anything, because I know better than to do that. I'm just telling you that you'll never live with yourself if you give up on anything – and that includes facing your inner demons. Think about that, Seto."

With these words, Luka silently opened the passenger door and stepped out. However, Seto didn't immediately crank the car and drive away as he had planned. He just sat there, deep within his own thoughts.

_Facing his inner demons… Was that the same thing as opening the vault again?_

* * *

**"How To Save A Life" by The Fray**

_**Step one you say we need to talk  
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk  
He smiles politely back at you  
You stare politely right on through  
Some sort of window to your right  
As he goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines of fear and blame  
And you begin to wonder why you came**_

_**Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life**_

_**Let him know that you know best  
Cause after all you do know best  
Try to slip past his defense  
Without granting innocence  
Lay down a list of what is wrong  
The things you've told him all along  
And pray to God he hears you  
And pray to God he hears you**_

_**Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life**_

_**As he begins to raise his voice  
You lower yours and grant him one last choice  
Drive until you lose the road  
Or break with the ones you've followed  
He will do one of two things  
He will admit to everything  
Or he'll say he's just not the same  
And you'll begin to wonder why you came**_

_**Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life**_


	7. Cold

Joey remained where he had been sitting moments before when Kaiba's story had been so abruptly cut short. He flipped his cell phone open and closed absentmindedly in his jacket pocket, mostly to avoid thinking about it. About anything. What the hell had just happened? He still wasn't sure, quite honestly. Kaiba had been talking, and then suddenly, he was gone. The doors had slammed once, then twice, and Luka was gone too. Where was the rest of the story? What was the ending?

Or _had _it ended yet?

That was a scary thought. Joey shifted in his seat.

"Oh my …" Christina whispered softly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Derrick took a deep breath.

"Yeah."

"What do we do now?" Christina asked quietly, looking around. Amy looked up, biting her lip.

"I'd go next, but I don't think I should," she said softly.

"Yeah, that might be a little bit much," Derrick agreed. "And besides, I know Luka would want to be here to hear you. Let's just talk or something."

"What do you start a conversation about after something like that?" Zell demanded, uncrossing his legs and sitting up a little bit straighter. "What kind of universe is this, anyway? If _Seto Kaiba's_ life sucks, I don't think many of us have a fighting chance."

"Don't talk like that," Christina admonished. "He'll get better."

"Honey," Zell replied, his eyes narrowing, "it's been _years_ since that bastard step-dad of his killed himself. You remember when it was all over the news. If Kaiba hasn't moved on yet…"

"He just hasn't been to the right place, with people that could help him," Christina insisted. "That'll make a difference."

Zell shook his head.

"Whatever. But if I had his cash, I think I could get over most anything."

Silence returned to the room.

It seemed funny, to Joey. So many opinions had just been expressed, but nobody seemed to doubt anymore that what Kaiba said had been true. And Joey himself had, up until the last few seconds of the story. The way Kaiba's eyes had glazed over, how he had sounded when he said those last few words. It had been a very familiar horror – one that not everybody could understand. One that Joey knew very well. It was said that domestic violence kids could pick each other out anywhere, something like war veterans. Was Kaiba that good at hiding emotion – such that it had never occurred to any of them?

And he had cracked, just like that. He had it coming, Joey decided.

Joey remembered how he had been found out. It started out with Tristan and his mom as the only two knowing. After the D-Facts case had failed so miserably, they had reluctantly promised to keep quiet. But one night at an intramural basketball game, he had been elbowed in the side as he made a lay-up. It barely would have hurt at all, had it not been for that half-healed bruise. When the coach pulled him off to the side, he made him pull his jersey up, even though Joey said over and over that he was okay. The coach had let him off with a raised eyebrow, but it wasn't long before the school counselor pulled him out of class and gave him the brochure that brought him here.

It was funny how life worked sometimes.

"What's on your mind, Joey?" Zell asked cynically, interrupting Joey's reverie. "You've been awfully quiet."

"I'm just thinkin' man," Joey replied nonchalantly, shrugging. "I don't have much to say."

"Suit yourself," Derrick shrugged. "I might go get a drink or something. How about we take a break, everybody?"

The consensus seemed all-around positive, so the group decided to go with Derrick's idea.

Joey separated from the group, making a b-line for the back door. He needed some fresh air – he had a little bit of a headache anyway. Fortunately for Joey, the exit from the theatre opened on to a small concrete patio. It was about twenty feet around, with a little rail on either side. Sitting on a bench on the left side, he took a deep breath and slid into an almost reclining position.

Yes, this was an odd existence.

Seto Kaiba was one of the few entities on Earth that he had allowed himself the complete freedom to hate absolutely. He was pure evil. End of story. But it wasn't the end of the story. It had never occurred to Joey to wonder what had caused Kaiba to become evil to begin with. People weren't just born evil, were they? And moreover, was Kaiba really _evil_, per se?

Yeah, everybody wanted to think that everybody else has a little bit of light, every single stupid antagonist just needs a hug and it will all be better. But real life didn't work that way. Some people were just jerks, pure and simple. But some had been stomped on time and time again, never given the time to heal between attacks. And it was beginning to look like Kaiba was one of _those_. He had to have been a little kid sometime.

Joey laughed just a little. It came out sounding more like a bemused sigh. Now he'd seen it all. Kaiba must have been one hellion of a little kid. All of that crazy, ingenious, demonic energy concentrated in a twelve-year-old. So many possibilities, such physical limitation.

Joey fished around for a minute in his jacket pocket before pulling out a rather crushed pack of cigarettes. Sliding one into his hand, he lit it with a cheap little lighter that also looked a little worse for wear. Joey took a long drag, feeling a sense of comfort in the familiar acrid flavor of cigarette smoke. It was something like home. And it had been far, far too long. He had tried to kick the habit enough times, but it was just too much, well, a habit. He'd taken it up around thirteen, and it was about the only thing that had been a constant in his life since. What the heck. It gave him something to do when he lacked any more constructive options. Like now, for instance.

Joey went through a few more cigs, the butts crushing under his dingy white sneakers. Finally he pulled the last one out of the pack. Oh well. It was shaping up to be a full-pack kind of a day anyway. Pity. This time last week, he had been down to only one each before and after school.

Getting to his feet, Joey looked around a little. Susan next to her old blue car in the parking lot, staring off into space. Zell was leaning on his red SUV a few feet further down, drinking a coke. Or at least Joey hoped it was a coke. Zell might make some thoughtless choices on occasion, but Joey thought he had enough sense not to down a beer a few minutes before driving home. Either way, it was _his_ problem and _his_ loss. Joey had enough on his mind.

He had set his conventions straight a few days after he met Seto Kaiba, and he had only been proven right ever since. Now he was beginning to doubt himself. And Joey didn't operate that way. Ugh. His brain hurt. It was time to go home and watch mindless television for a few hours. He'd call Luka's cell later and tell her that he hadn't been feeling well or something. As Joey walked off of the patio, he heard a V-8 engine that sounded distinctly like Kaiba's convertible gun up from the parking lot on the other side of the building, where he had parked too. Apparently Joey wasn't the only one in need of a break to sort things out. Shit. Another thing they had in common.

As Joey walked to his own car and stepped in, he wondered what kind of conclusion he would come to about this whole Kaiba thing. He had a general policy of looking out for the lost and screwed-up people, but nobody had ever told him that the most powerful high schooler in Japan fell under that category as well. That turned everything upside down. Holding his cigarette between his teeth, he unclipped his keys from his belt.

"Hey! Joey!" he heard a voice exclaim.

Oh well. It looked like he'd end up talking to Luka after all.

"Don't even say it," he sighed, exhaling a stream of smoke from his half-smoked cigarette.

"I wasn't gonna," Luka replied softly. "We need to talk. Or what the hell. Maybe we just need to sit here and chill out."

"Works for me."

Luka climbed into the passenger side and sighed deeply. Joey wasn't sure if he'd ever seen her this much at a loss.

"I don't even know what to say, hon," she commented softly. "That friend of yours, Seto, is one screwed-up kid."

"He's definitely not my friend," Joey sighed, "but yeah. Apparently he's pretty messed-up."

"More than _pretty_ messed up," Luka emphasized, her voice cracking. "He's got some post-traumatic stress business going on, from what I can tell. And I'm not saying that's unusual for domestic violence kids, but I'm getting vibes of panic disorder stuff. And those are no picnic to treat, especially in somebody like him."

"Somebody like him?" Joey inquired, crushing the last cigarette butt on the plastic floor of the truck.

"Yeah. He's determined to deflect any move anybody makes to help him. He came to get his brother off his back, and that's all. Unless something major happens, I think we've seen the last of him."

"Well, maybe that's for the better," Joey replied coolly.

"For the better?" Luka demanded hotly, shaking her head. "I give him three weeks. A month, tops. And he'll be a damned mess. There's something _in there_, Joey. _In there really deep_. Something that he has no intention of telling anybody – even himself. And unless he comes to terms with it, it's only going to escalate. This is not good."

Joey looked up incredulously.

"What do you think is upsetting him that much?"

"I have no idea – and I really don't think that he does either. It almost, _almost_ came back to him a second ago, when he was telling his story. And that's what scared him into leaving like that."

"This is like some kind of stupid horror movie," Joey sighed, running a shaking hand through his hair.

"I know. I was kidding about him being your friend; it's obvious how much you hate him. But do _something_. You're his age, you go to his school. You're a smart kid. Just try to talk to him. Now that he knows that you're in the same boat, things might be different."

"Luka, you don't understand," Joey said helplessly.

But at this point, she had already left the car and was headed back to the school building.

_**Song: Cold  
Lyrics: Crossfade**_

_**Looking back at me I see  
That I never really got it right  
I never stopped to think of you  
I'm always wrapped up in  
Things I cannot win  
You are the antidote that gets me by  
Something strong  
Like a drug that gets me high **_

_**What I really meant to say  
Is I'm sorry for the way I am  
I never meant to be so cold**_

_**To you I'm sorry about all the lies  
Maybe in a different light  
You could see me stand on my own again  
Cause now i can see  
You were the antidote that got me by  
Something strong like a drug that got me high **_

_**I never meant to be so cold **_

_**I never really wanted you to see  
The screwed up side of me that I keep  
Locked inside of me so deep  
It always seems to get to me   
I never really wanted you to go  
So many things you should have known  
I guess for me theres just no hope  
I never meant to be so cold **_


	8. Perfect World

**Same Time Next Week Soundtrack**

**Chapter Eight, Track 3: "Perfect World" by Simple Plan**

* * *

"Hey Nii-sama!" Mokuba exclaimed, bounding into the office with his yellow messenger-bag bouncing at his side. 

"Hey Mokuba," Seto replied quietly, sighing and finishing up the sentence that he was typing before looking up.

"Difficult day?" Mokuba asked, giving him a sympathetic look. Seto rolled his eyes.

"You could say that."

"Yeah… Well, I brought your dinner!" Mokuba exclaimed, producing a cardboard take-out shaped box from inside the bag and setting it down on Seto's perfectly organized desk. There was a blotter/calendar with important dates written in Seto's neat copperplate-script hand. Beside that was a coffee mug with pens and pencils, and beside that a ledger full of figures. Mokuba was bored very quickly by looking through it, but he'd tried enough times to know that it was impeccably ordered, not a single print-out under the wrong date or alphabetical notation.

It was somehow very depressing.

Seto's office in general was very depressing. He had inherited the CEO suite from Gozaburo and had changed it very little since – aside from moving the enormous framed picture of his stepfather from the wall behind his desk. It was in the lobby of the building now. Mokuba thought that maybe that's why Seto spent so little time down there. Aside from the spot where the painting was clearly missing, the walls were still mostly un-adorned. The only sign of life in the room aside from the two brothers was in a rather pathetic plant rising a few feet from a terra cotta pot beside the desk. Certainly the little tree was well-cared for, but it drooped from lack of natural light.

"Thanks Mokuba," Seto replied, picking up the box. It was rather unassuming, and looked quite small to constitute an entire meal. Mokuba watched in distaste as Seto opened it and poured the contents of the sauce packet over the noodles inside. As he put in the microwave under his desk, the younger boy finally commented.

"You know," he said, "you could really eat something else once in awhile. Those are kinda pathetic. I would have brought you take-out or something."

Seto shrugged.

"I wouldn't have eaten it."

"I know," Mokuba sighed. "Which is why I didn't. But those aren't that good for you."

"They're instant-microwave, and they last forever, so I can buy them in bulk. I really don't have time for much else; you know that."

"Yeah…" Mokuba conceded. "I know. But they don't have any protein at all. And you're really skinny. Too skinny."

Seto shrugged again.

"A lot of boys my age are skinny."

"Yeah, but they _eat_, Nii-sama. You don't eat. Not enough, anyway. You're not healthy. You don't sleep well."

Seto became a little defensive and decided not to reply. As he pulled a cheap, disposable pair of chopsticks out of his top desk drawer and removed slightly-warm box of noodles from the microwave, he could tell that his brother was still waiting for an explanation.

"I'm just busy, Mokuba," he said impatiently, again pulling out his laptop. "It's not easy running a business _and_ doing enough homework to keep my grades up _and_ making sure that you do."

"Yeah…" Mokuba agreed, laughing a little at the last part. "I bet. By the way, I never did get to talk to you about that meeting on Saturday. How did it go?"

Seto paused in his typing and unconsciously bit his lip.

"It was fine, Mokuba. Yeah."

"Really?" Mokuba asked hopefully. "Does that mean you're gonna go back again, to the next one?"

"I don't know."

Mokuba's expression clouded over.

"Why not, Nii-sama?"

"Well," Seto started, his mind wandering back to that horribly awkward conversation he'd had with Luka. "It's not easy, you know? Talking to all those people that I don't know, about all of that stuff…"

"But Seto, you're good at a lot of things that aren't easy," Mokuba pointed out. "Nothing that you do is easy, like you said."

"Yeah, but this is a different not-easy," Seto started, trying to think of a good example of what he was talking about. "Calculus isn't easy, right? But I can do that, because I can _think_ about it. I can look at it from every angle and figure out the right answers. But with this… with this it's like I don't want to think about all of it. There's a certain amount that I've come to grips with, and the rest I just let alone."

"But that's the stuff that those meetings are for," Mokuba replied. "That's the stuff that's giving you nightmares. You can't run from this forever, Seto."

Seto paused, looking up at his little brother.

"So I've been told," he said finally, sounding a little bit sad.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, before Mokuba again broke it.

"Are you still having the nightmares since you went to the meeting, Nii-sama?"

Seto took a deep breath, attempting to calm down.

"Mokuba," he sighed, "I'd rather not talk about this."

"That's what you always say, Seto – right when you're getting to the part that you need to talk about the most. You wouldn't talk to me, so I told you where to find people that might understand better. You won't talk to them, so now what are you going to do?"

Seto gave Mokuba a look of frustration.

"Do you think this is easy, little brother? Living with all of that? You didn't even see the half of what went on. Yeah, you think what you saw of it was bad. And it was. The bruises, the cuts that you saw. Yeah, that was scary enough by itself. But what about all of the things that you didn't see?"

Again, Seto stopped himself.

"What about them, Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked coolly, folding his hands on the desk. "I'm listening."

"I'm through."

"No, Seto, you weren't."

"But I am now," Seto said firmly and conclusively, looking away and stirring his noodle box lamely with the chopsticks in his right hand.

Mokuba paused, giving his brother an imperative look.

"Why won't you tell me, Seto? I think I can handle it."

"What if I think that you can't?" Seto inquired, sounding somewhat cold himself. This heightened Mokuba's frustration.

"Seto, why are you being this way? We tell each other _everything_."

Seto almost snickered, but he caught himself and simply replied in the cool way that he had before.

"Mom and dad said for me to take care of you, remember? That's what I'm doing."

"I know! I know that you try and do what's best for me, but the thing is… Mom and Dad really shouldn't have told you that. They should have said for you to take care of _us._ You don't take care of yourself enough, and you won't listen to me."

Suddenly, and without warning, Seto jumped up.

"And why _should _I listen to you?" he demanded, breathing heavily. His voice escalated to what could have been considered a shout. "I'm sick of this! I'm sick of all of it! You don't know how to manage a business, be in school, raise a kid; you don't know what it takes. I'm doing a damned good job, and to hell with it all! I'm alive, you're alive, the company's not bankrupt, and I don't want another _word_ from you about any of it!"

With a sweep of his fist, he knocked over his abandoned chair. It landed on the floor sideways with a shuddering crash. Seto Kaiba then stormed out, the heavy door to the office slamming behind him.

Mokuba sat for a minute or two in silence, his mind completely blank. In all of his years alive, he couldn't remember his brother raising his voice at him like that. Much less knocking over furniture. What had just happened? It was almost like…

It was almost like _he_ was back again. Except this time it was a hundred thousand times worse. Because he didn't have Seto to turn to and help him to feel better – Seto was the one that had _caused_ it. Mokuba's own Seto… His quiet, sweet older brother… What had happened? Who was he turning into?

Mokuba got up and just stood there aimlessly for a second, not knowing where to go or what to do. Well, maybe picking up the overturned chair would be a good place to start. As he did so, Seto's long white coat fell to the floor. His brother must have taken it off when he got in that morning. And it was so cold in here; Mokuba couldn't imagine taking _off_ a jacket…

Sitting down in the chair where Seto had been sitting calmly only moments before, Mokuba saw the abandoned noodle-box sitting on the desk. Suddenly, his eyes filled with angry tears. Seto, his Nii-sama, ate those stupid noodles, the cheap ones that came from the small grocery store on the corner. Not this new scary person that he didn't know.

Before he knew what had happened, Mokuba was sobbing. He trembled with these awful, powerful tears, and he buried his face in Seto's coat. What was he going to do? Where would he go? Without Seto… without Seto… Mokuba's cries worsened and he clung to that dumb leather coat like it _was _his older brother.

It smelled like American cologne and wintergreen chewing gum – Seto's favorites. Whenever Mokuba had a bad day at school or woke up from a nightmare early in the morning, when it was still dark, that smell meant that everything was going to be okay. He'd found a safe place. But now what was it going to mean?

Meanwhile, Seto stood in the bathroom on his floor, leaning against the tile wall in complete, absolute despair. What had he done?

In that wretched, frustrated moment, had he ruined everything? All of the years of looking out for each other, all of the times that he'd dried his brother's tears? It had come so naturally in that second. So naturally that it terrified him. The anger was just too much to handle, and the violence made it go away, for just a second. Then the horror had set in, and he left – immediately. He was afraid of himself.

He was becoming his own worst nightmare. What would it be next time? Could he control it? What if he had to send Mokuba away for his own good? He couldn't very well leave him with a person that would hurt him, even if that person was _himself._

Should he go back into the room and talk to Mokuba, he wondered. Hell, after that, did he _deserve_ to? What was he going to say?

Mokuba was his brother. His one and only. His confidante and best friend.

Somehow, he'd know. When he got there, there would be a way to express this feeling to his brother – even if he couldn't express it to himself.

When Seto reappeared at the door to the office, Mokuba's back was to him. He was sitting in that chair – the one that Seto had pushed over. And – a lump rose in Seto's throat – he was holding onto Seto's coat as though it were his last link to a dying world.

"Mokuba," Seto whispered. His brother turned around, his face red and tear-streaked. But he didn't get up. He simply sat there, giving Seto a blank, unsure stare.

"Mokie…" Seto repeated entreatingly, heartbrokenly, his voice cracking. He knelt down on the floor, his arms open. Not hesitating another moment, Mokuba jumped up from the chair and rushed forward, falling into Seto's embrace.

"Mokuba I'm so, so sorry," Seto said, burying his head in his younger brother's shoulder.

"No, Nii-sama, no… I was just so scared. So scared for _you_…" the younger boy sobbed. His tears combined with those of his brother as the two sat there on the floor in a powerful, terrified embrace.

"Seto, you have to go back to that meeting on Saturday. You just have to. _He_'s gone, and he's still ruining our lives."

"I know, Mokuba. I know," Seto replied, pulling his brother in even more tightly. "I'm going, don't worry. Nothing like this will ever, _ever _happen again."

**"Perfect World" – Simple Plan**

_**I never could've seen this far  
I never could've seen this coming  
Seems like my world's falling apart**_

_**Yeah**_

_**Why is everything so hard  
I don't think I can deal with the things you said  
It just won't go away**_

_**In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all**_

_**I used to think that I was strong  
Until the day it all went wrong  
I think I need a miracle to make it through**_

_**Yeah**_

_**I wish that I could bring you back  
I wish that I could turn back time  
Cuz I can't let go  
I just can't find my way  
Yeah  
Without you I just can't find my way**_

_**In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all**_

_**I don't know what I should do now  
I don't know where I should go  
I'm still here waiting for you  
I'm lost when you're not around  
I need to hold on to you  
I just can't let you go**_

_**Yeah  
Yeah**_

_**In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all  
Nothing, nothing at all  
Nothing at all**_


	9. Long Way to Happy

You guys are totally the best reviewers I could ask for. I'm like, in shock. I've come up with a special new gift for all of you: giant boxes of extra-fluffy-pink-strawberry-scented Kleenex! I figure I've caused you to use up enough of yours that I owe you.

Oh, and I apologize for the "language" to come. It's not so bad; I don't go around dropping f-bombs, it's just a little more than I've used so far. I try to avoid this in my stories, but I'm even more concerned about keeping it real, and you know… Joey and Seto wouldn't be particularly polite to each other, if past experience is anything to go by.

R/R! Thanks a mil for everything!

Seto walked out to the Domino Tech parking lot that Saturday afternoon feeling like the lowest of the low. He had that disgusting gut feeling that almost always meant guilt, severe regret, or perhaps the aftermath of intense nervousness. What the hell? Maybe it was all three.

Everybody else seemed to have departed awhile ago. He'd gotten a call from an associate right as he was leaving and had been forced to stand around in the hallway debating the use of stock-sharing with another large company. Strangely enough, it had almost been nice to get the meeting out of his mind that quickly.

But now it was flooding back.

He had finished his story. Well, he'd picked up where he left off and brought it to the present. He had been pretty close before, there had just been some kind of stumbling block. Once he started again from beyond that point, the rest came easily enough. He knew that there were still plenty of holes in the account. Perhaps that explained his unease.

Seto hadn't been the focus of the whole meeting, thank goodness. Amy shared her story, too. Her mom had been a drug addict, and she had been adopted by her aunt. Unfortunately the aunt was only slightly better. She had kids of her own to worry about, and Amy was all but neglected. Seto felt bad at the time that he had such a hard time mustering up sympathy for her, but it _had_ been difficult. He would have given anything to make Gozaburo ignore him completely.

Seto's reverie was broken abruptly by the sound of someone attempting to crank a very pathetic-sounding motor nearby. It would rev once or twice, before coughing out. Its owner would try again, and again there would be nothing. Seto wasn't great with mechanics, but he was better than some. He glanced over in the direction of the noise to see if he could help. Or maybe just in hopes of a distraction.

When Seto did so, his stomach turned. Of course, the car had to belong to Joey.

He turned away, hoping that his concern hadn't been noticed. Even though he knew very well that Joey wouldn't be interested in any help that he could offer, he still felt a twinge or two or guilt. He'd be right there if it was _anybody_ else. Just why _Joey_? Well, that was pretty clear. Joey didn't exactly manage his own business, that was for sure. It was logical that his car would be on its last leg. Or his truck. Whatever.

Seto continued on to his own car. When he got there, he immediately buckled his seat belt and stuck his own key in the ignition. Of course, it started beautifully. The V-8 made a rich purring sound that split the silence of the empty lot.

As Seto backed out of his parking place, he saw Joey again in the rearview mirror. The old black pickup _still_ didn't appear to be starting. Again, Seto's moral problem set in. His passenger seat was conspicuously unoccupied. And Joey could get his car towed for a very low price – he'd just need a ride home that day. Seto continued to resist what he was beginning to understand was his obligation as a human being. Joey could wait for a ride from an actual _friend_. It wasn't that cold. The weather was nice at least.

As though in response to his thoughts, a few drops of rain hit the windshield.

Seto fumed. Fate apparently found it highly amusing that he be forced to drive Joey home today. Well, he could at least put up his convertible-top first so that he didn't get completely soaked. Once this was done, he did a three-point-turn and pulled up right beside Joey's truck, before he could talk himself out of it. The truck window was already rolled down so that Joey could listen to the engine, so Seto rolled his down as well.

"Hey Wheeler," he said coolly, leaning his arm out the window. "Has your piece-of-shit car finally crapped out on you?"

"Shut up, Kaiba," Joey said, again turning the key. It made a sharp sputtering sound that seemed to lift his hopes. However, it again fell silent. Joey glared at Kaiba.

"Are you just going to sit there and stare, smartass?" he asked sharply.

Kaiba laughed humorlessly.

"I was actually going to ask if you needed a ride home. I wasn't sure if you could afford to call a taxi."

Joey looked as though he was about to respond with something equally rude, but thought better of it when it occurred to him that Kaiba might be serious. However, his pride again won out over his practicality.

"Like _hell_ I'd ride with you anyway," Joey finally said, looking away.

Seto sighed.

"Get in the car, Wheeler.

"What?"

"You heard me. Get your ass in the car, or I'm leaving."

Joey pulled the keys to his truck out of the ignition. He slid out the passenger's side door since Kaiba's car was too close to allow him to get out of the driver's side comfortably. As he walked to the side of the convertible, he gave Kaiba a distrusting glance.

"I know you," he said. "You've got something planned."

Kaiba swore, more to himself than Joey.

"Do you honestly think I'd waste my time planning something just to embarrass _you_?" he asked, giving Joey a look. "Just get in the car before I really _do_ change my mind."

Joey stopped for a second, Luka's words coming back to him.

"_Just try to talk to him. Now that he knows that you're in the same boat, things might be different…"_

What the hell.

"Yeah, okay," he sighed, getting into the convertible. The leather seats and satellite radio seemed like stuff out of another universe, but Joey resisted the urge to play with them. He wondered what was in Kaiba's glovebox. Suddenly that seemed like a stupid thing to wonder. It probably wasn't _that_ different from his own. Maybe a CD case, some spare change, a few receipts…?

"While you're at it, why don't you just ask me what it cost?" Kaiba interrupted him coldly, watching as Joey examined all of the controls on the armrest.

"Fine then," Joey replied, smirking. "How much _did_ it cost?"

"More than your house, that's for sure."

The conversation naturally ended there.

The two traveled in silence for a few minutes. Joey crossed his arms and looked out the passenger's side window, avoiding eye contact. Sure, he was supposed to talk to him, but what exactly would he say? It was clear that Kaiba wasn't going to start the conversation.

Seto continued to focus on the road, more than simply driving through Domino city required. He was a good driver and could have multitasked, but it gave him a good excuse not to talk to Joey. It was the first rule in business proceedings not to sit in a very close proximity to someone for too long without initiating polite conversation, but he certainly didn't have anything to say.

Suddenly, Joey surprised him.

"So what do you think of the meetings… and everybody?" he asked uncertainly. Seto raised an eyebrow and still avoided looking over.

"They're okay," he replied diffidently. "Kind of strange though."

"Yeah. It's hard to be normal coming out of stuff like that."

Seto shrugged.

"But I wouldn't ever say that around Luka," Joey continued, "it would seriously piss her off. 'Normal' is her least-favorite word ever."

"I could see why," Seto replied wryly. Joey ignored him.

"She says that normal is a dryer-setting. There isn't really such thing as a normal person."

The silence resumed. Joey was getting increasingly frustrated that his attempt at conversation was working so poorly.

"That really sucks about your dad," he commented finally, hoping to stir up some kind of response. And that he did.

"Gozaburo Kaiba was _not_ my dad," Seto replied stiffly, his words strangely monotone.

"Whatever," Joey replied, shrugging. He'd struck a nerve – that meant he was finally getting somewhere.

"No," Seto said, his voice raising. "_Not_ 'whatever.' That bastard has nothing to do with me."

"Don't lie to yourself," Joey continued calmly. "He has _everything_ to do with you. Why else would you have panic attacks like you do, not be able to go through normal day-to-day stuff?"

Seto looked up at him, aghast at his nerve.

"How the hell would you know if I have panic attacks?" he asked.

"Well, the fact that I _witnessed_ one helps a little," Joey replied, his momentum building. "That day you left the meeting? I know what you were feeling."

"No you don't," Seto continued, the pitch of his voice raising the smallest amount. "Shut up now."

Joey responded by instead getting louder.

"You felt like you were watching everything that was happening in slow motion and that you were watching yourself from a distance. It felt like cold water had just been poured over your head, and you didn't know what you were going to do, because things would never be normal again."

Seto didn't dare to make eye-contact again.

"Don't be a dumbass about this," Joey sighed, sounding strangely empathetic. "You know I'm right. _I _know I'm right. I've been through all this shit too, you know."

Without warning, Seto slammed on the brakes and swerved into a nearby parking lot with a fast food drive-thru.

"I'm getting a coffee," he said sharply. "Do you want anything?"

Joey gave him a glance somewhere between surprise and impatience.

"Yeah, I'll take a coke," he finally said, continuing to watch Seto. Luka was right. Poor, screwed up bastard. He needed all the help he could get. But the thing was, he wouldn't accept any.

When they got their drinks, Seto pulled over into a parking place for a second so that he could pour the cream and sugar packets into the coffee. He sighed. Mokuba came to mind as he emptied the sugar packets into the Styrofoam cup. His brother liked to steal sugar packets from the cabinet at the house and eat them plain. It disgusted Seto immensely, but somehow amused him all the same.

Mokuba. Mokuba, Mokuba. He had hurt that kid pretty bad the other day. Yeah, he claimed to have gotten over it. They did pre-algebra together like always and he almost seemed back to normal.

But the tension was there; there wasn't any getting around it.

"I did some pretty awful stuff," Seto commented out of nowhere.

"What?" Joey asked, caught-off-guard by this apparently random confession.

"Yeah. I yelled at Mokuba the other day. And knocked a chair over."

Joey sat for a moment, wondering why Seto felt the need to confess this here of all places, and to him of all people.

"Why?" he finally asked.

"I don't know!" Seto burst forth, a little of the coffee splattering onto his hand from the force. "It just came over me, out of nowhere. He said something that made me kind of mad and I was almost afraid that I'd…"

Seto's voice trailed off.

"Hit him. You were afraid that you would hit him," Joey finished softly. Seto looked away.

"But I'd never do that," he said quietly.

"You're right," Joey replied. "You wouldn't. But you've been taught by your environment that it's the way to react to anger. It was an impulse. Luka calls it 'nurture stimulus,' or something like that. It's really common in kids like us."

Seto felt a bizarre twinge at the phrase 'kids like us.' It suggested some kind of bizarre commonness between them – the same united feeling that he had been resisting since he'd learned this disquieting fact about Joey's history. He said the first thing that came to mind, regardless of how little sense it made.

"But I didn't hit him," he said quietly. "I just knocked over a chair."

"And that's a good thing," Joey said softly. "You did what you had to and rose above it. It gets easier."

The car was silent again as Seto put the lid back on his coffee. When he had done so, he drove out of the parking lot and back to the road where they had been driving before.

"You can just drop me off at the mechanic shop on Third Street," Joey said. "I need to get my truck towed. And Tristan works there anyway. I was going to his place tonight."

"Okay," Kaiba replied, pulling into the left turn lane.

"Oh… I need to pay you back for the coke," Joey said suddenly, more to break the silence than anything. Kaiba snickered, sounding like his usual self all of a sudden.

"Forget it, Wheeler. I had already forgotten that fifty yen was actually worth something to some people."

Joey shrugged and put his wallet away. Kaiba's camaraderie was again, quite short-lived. But it had been enough. The two rode the last mile or so in the same silence that had characterized most of their time in the car together.

"We're here," Kaiba finally announced, pulling up beside a shabby brick building surrounded by sedans in various states of disrepair.

"Thanks for the ride," Joey said shortly, taking his half-empty coke from the cup holder and slamming the door.

"Yeah," Kaiba replied to no one in particular, releasing his parking brake and pulling back out to the main road.

**"Long Way To Happy"- Pink**

_**One night to you  
Lasted six weeks for me  
Just a bitter little pill now  
Just to try to go to sleep**_

_**No more waking up to innocence  
Say hello to hesitance  
To everyone I meet  
Thanks to you years ago**_

_**I guess I'll never know  
What love means to me but oh  
I'll keep on rolling down this road  
But I've got a bad, bad feeling**_

_**It's gonna take a long time to love  
It's gonna take a lot to hold on  
It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah  
Left in the pieces that you broke me into  
Torn apart but now I've got to  
Keep on rolling like a stone**_

_**Cause it's gonna be a long long way to happy**_

_**Left my childhood behind  
In a roll away bed  
Everything was so damn simple  
Now I'm losing my head  
Trying to cover up the damage  
And pad out all the bruises**_

_**Do you know I had it  
So it didn't hurt to lose it  
Didn't hurt to lose it  
No but oh**_

_**I'll keep on rolling down this road  
But I've got a bad, bad feeling**_

_**It's gonna take a long time to love  
It's gonna take a lot to hold on  
It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah  
Left in the pieces that you broke me into  
Torn apart but now I've got to  
Keep on rolling like a stone**_

_**Cause it's gonna be a long long way**_

_**Now I'm numb as hell and I can't feel a thing  
But don't worry about regret or guilt cause I never knew your name**_

_**I just want to thank you  
Thank you  
From the bottem of my heart  
For all the sleepless nights  
And for tearing me apart yeah yeah**_

_**It's gonna take a long time to love  
It's gonna take a lot to hold on  
It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah  
Left in the pieces that you broke me into  
Torn apart but now I've got to  
Keep on rolling like a stone**_

_**Cause it's gonna be a long long way**_

_**It's gonna take a long time to love  
It's gonna take a lot to hold on  
It's gonna be a long, long, long, long way to happy, yeah**_

_**Left in the pieces that you broke me into  
Torn apart but now I've got to  
Keep on rolling like a stone**_

_**Cause it's gonna be a long long way to happy**_


	10. Speeding Cars

Thanks again for all of the feedback. Ya'll are amazing. Truly. I meant to update last night, but my internet was down. T-T

I don't know about you guys, but I'm thinking that this story was totally just crying out for a slow down, pick-up-right-where-we-left off, un-intense, collect yourself kind of a chapter. We're moving from crisis to crisis here, and sometimes life is like that, but when it is, you have to demand a break before you lose it. And that's what Seto's doing.

R/R, thanks again!

* * *

As Seto pulled out of the mechanic shop, he wondered silently exactly what the hell he had just done. It appeared as though he had just confessed the problem that had been troubling him and haunting him for the last week. It also appeared that he had just confessed it to _Joey Wheeler._

It was _so_ wrong, and _so_ upsetting that it almost didn't upset him.

That didn't make any sense at all.

The worst part of all was how much better it made him feel. Yes, he hadn't cared nor believed Joey at the time when he'd said that the things that he was feeling were normal, but it was as though some micro-part of Seto's subconscious had been put to rest. Now maybe, just maybe, the dreams would stop. Hell, what dreams? Those were nightmares. They had been driving him insane. They were like all of the Gozaburo-dreams, but things were switched. In the dreams, he was himself – only his child-self. However, Gozaburo wasn't Gozaburo. The terrifying and foreboding presence in the dream was his current, grown-up self.

And the concept of it horrified Seto.

But with the daylight and the people and the real, moving world, things were much less scary. The lack of reason and sheer irrationality showed up more than the fear. Well, maybe that wasn't all just the daylight. Maybe something had happened that really did change how he felt. A part of him, well, more than just a part, hoped that it would reflect during his slumber as well.

Seto suddenly realized that he hadn't even taken a sip of his coffee. It was funny; he didn't even really like coffee – that much. He usually only drank it around midnight or in the wee hours of the morning, when he needed the kind of caffeine rush that oolong tea alone didn't pack. But somehow, it appealed right now. He was glad that he had ordered decaf, though; his emotions were finally starting to mellow out. And he wanted them to stay that way.

It occurred to Seto that there was really only a certain amount of surprise and adrenaline that somebody could take before they finally went into stupor-mode. So much crazy stuff had gone on in the last week, day, hour. Perhaps he'd reached his limit.

And what a mercy that was.

The coffee was perfect drinking temperature, and he downed it in fewer than three stoplights. A few minutes later, Seto reached the deciding intersection. Left would take him to work. Right would take him home. He was already pushing down on the turn signal when it occurred to him that he didn't really _have_ to work, if he wasn't up to it.

He didn't _have_ to step into his office and relive his childhood _and_ last Tuesday, to top it all off. Honestly, it would be better if he didn't. Seto almost laughed at how strange that sounded coming from within himself. Take Saturday afternoon off? Take Saturday afternoon off. Ha. It wasn't like he had some stupid boss that would bust him for claiming a few hours of vacation-time. He made a definitive upward push on the lever to the left of the steering wheel, and the right signal-arrow started blinking on his dashboard. Mokuba would be so surprised.

Seto suddenly found himself wondering what there was to eat back at the house. Funny, coffee generally made him lose his appetite, but for whatever reason he suddenly realized how hungry he was. He actually wanted to go in and get something to eat. That would certainly please Mokuba as well. Wow, that kid was beginning to sound more like his dad than his younger brother. Well, kudos to him; somebody needed to be. And whoever could take over a role like that and maintain some semblance of sanity deserves a hell of a lot of kudos.

He'd take the kid out for pizza. Yes, that's what he would do. It had been years since they'd done something like that. With this in mind, Seto almost smiled. He couldn't wait to see the look on Mokuba's face when he drove in. Better even when he told him their plans for the evening.

Wow. What exactly was he doing?

Seto had almost failed to notice how strangely he was acting. Almost, but not quite. What had brought this on? It couldn't have been his conversation with Joey… could it? Impossible. But then… he had been afraid to spend too much time with Mokuba, since that day in his office. And it had been eating him from the inside. His little brother was his conscience, his purpose, his _everything._ The last few days had been unbearable.

But now, somehow, things were feeling okay again.

Seto finally reached the gates of the mansion and pulled out his key-card. The two wrought-iron monstrosities that his stepfather had installed for security purposes swung open widely, allowing for the passage of Seto's sleek convertible. However, he didn't get in too far before his path was blocked by an over-excited whirlwind of a ten-year-old.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed, running up beside the car. "What are you doing home so early?"

"Taking the day off," Seto replied brusquely. Mokuba gave him a strange look.

"It's not my birthday _yet_," he reminded Seto slowly. Seto shook his head.

"I know, but I still need some time off. Those meetings… they take it out of you."

Mokuba nodded solemnly. A moment of silence passed before Seto spoke up, sounding slightly more upbeat than before.

"Hey kid – how about we get an early dinner somewhere? Are you up for pizza?"

Mokuba gave Seto a look of ecstatic surprise.

"Am I EVER!" he exclaimed, all but jumping into the car. Seto laughed.

"You know," he said kind of thoughtfully. "I am too."

With this, Seto did an abrupt turn that practically spun the car where it sat. Mokuba laughed.

"You have to teach me how to do that, Nii-sama."

Seto shook his head, smiling slightly.

"I think you'll need to learn some of the basics first – such as where the brake pedal is."

Mokuba rolled his eyes.

"You know, it's not too long until I _will_ need to start learning to drive, Seto."

"That's not a comforting thought, little brother," Seto said, smiling rather bemusedly.

Mokuba ignored this remark.

"Hey Seto!" he exclaimed. "I got a ninety-six on that pre-algebra test I took yesterday!"

"Really?" Seto inquired, his look brightening. "That's awesome."

The two had pulled almost an all-nighter studying for that midterm. Mokuba was horrendous at math. His language arts and orchestra grades were high enough to ease the sting that his pre-algebra grade had on his GPA, but Seto insisted that Mokuba would be lost in geometry and later algebra classes if he didn't try a little harder.

"Yeah – Murasaka-sama said it was almost like having you back again."

Seto nodded, agreeing that was a fair remark.

"I guess it would be like that."

A few moments of silence passed before they pulled up to the local pizza parlor, but it was a pleasant silence. Seto had put in a classical music CD that the two had ordered so that Mokuba could listen to the songs that he would be playing at the next orchestra concert. Finally, they arrived.

"I haven't been here since almost last week!" Mokuba laughed as he got out of the passenger's side.

"It's been slightly longer than that for me," Seto replied, hearing the loud music pouring in and assuming a look of distaste. Mokuba snickered.

"It's not so bad, Seto," he said. "And the food is awesome."

"Whatever you say, little brother."

Once the two had been seated, they opened their menus and started mulling over the many options.

"I kinda like pineapple," Mokuba observed as he looked over the toppings. Seto raised an eyebrow.

"You can get that on your half, then. I'm leaning towards mushroom or something harmless like that."

"Okay, but we have to order breadsticks."

About the time the two had decided, the waiter walked up. To Seto's surprise and slight irritation, it was definitely somebody that he knew.

"Hey, it's Seto Kaiba!" Zell exclaimed. Mokuba looked over at Seto, surprised that he would know a random high-schooler working at a pizza joint.

"Hello," Seto replied awkwardly. Zell, prepared for this, didn't miss a beat.

"That must be your little brother," he said, smiling at the two of them. Seto nodded.

"Yes, that's Mokuba."

"Nice to meet ya, man," Zell said. "Your brother talks about you all the time."

Mokuba laughed.

"Yeah, I bet he does."

"So are you guys decided about your pizza yet?" Zell asked, whipping a little notebook out of his back pocket.

"We are," Seto replied. "One medium, half with mushroom and green pepper – "

"Yeah, make that a large, extra price on the house," Zell said as he scribbled something only slightly legible on the paper. "I got ya."

"And the other half with pineapple and pepperoni," Mokuba finished.

Zell shrugged, laughing.

"That's new, but whatever," he said. "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

Once he left, Mokuba started asking questions.

"Seto, he's so cool!" he exclaimed. "How do you know him?"

"He goes to the meetings," Seto replied, a little stiffly. "He's a friend of Wheeler's."

"Joey Wheeler?" Mokuba all but whispered. "What does _he_ go to the meetings for?"

"His dad was an alcoholic," Seto explained, trying to hide his discomfort.

"Seto, that's horrible," Mokuba said, his look still one of amazement.

"No more horrible than what we went through."

"Well, yeah, but Joey's different than we are. Joey's _normal_," Mokuba said, searching for the right word but not able to come up with anything.

"We're not normal?" Seto demanded, knowing in his heart exactly what his brother was getting at, but feeling the need to question anyway.

"No, we're not," Mokuba replied. "I have trouble getting to know people, you know that. I'm too quiet around other people. And you have the nightmares…"

"I know what you mean," Seto replied. "I hadn't guessed it about Joey either."

"And that boy, too. The one that's our waiter. I never would have guessed it about him, either."

"Yeah," Seto agreed. "Maybe he and Joey had hard times too, but remember that they're on the other end of the tunnel from me. They're coming _out _of it. My battle is just beginning."

"I know," Mokuba said solemnly, putting his hand over his brother's. "But you'll win it. You always win battles, Nii-sama."

Seto smiled, looking up at his brother.

"Thanks, Mokie," he said softly. "That means a lot."

After a few minutes of silence, not unlike the silence in the car, conversation regarding Mokuba's math test resumed. He had missed a single question, and it had been because of a misplaced negative in the answer.

"It really sucks when it happens that way," Seto sympathized, "but at least you know that you know it."

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed. "But I would like the teacher to know that I know it too."

Seto laughed.

"I'm sure he does."

"Alright, everybody," Zell said as he approached, despite the fact that there was only the two of them. "I've got one _bizarre_ pizza, but I think it's what you ordered. And if it's not, it's definitely not my fault."

It was Mokuba's turn to laugh.

"It is," he replied. "And it looks weirder in person."

"I agree," Zell replied. "Hope you guys enjoy. I'll have Les come over to refill your drinks. He's being a slacker. And I'll be sure and tell Luka I ran into you guys."

Seto and Mokuba thanked him and began to eat.

"This is the best pizza ever, Nii-sama," Mokuba said between bites.

"I'm glad," Seto said, "but you come here all the time. Is it different than usual?"

"No, the pizza isn't different," Mokuba replied thoughtfully. "But you're here – so it's better."

Seto smiled, swallowing abruptly to avoid tearing up.

"Thanks, Mokuba."

The two enjoyed the rest of the evening immensely, between laughter at the catastrophe of Mokuba's never-ending string of cheese as he attempted to move a slice of the pizza to his plate and Seto's shock when he got sweet tea instead of unsweet. Overall, they had a blast together. When the time finally came to leave, Seto decided suddenly to leave a much larger tip than usual. What the hell.

As they walked out of the doors, Mokuba spoke up.

"I had a great time, Nii-sama," he said, taking his brother's hand.

"I did too, Mokuba," Seto replied.

The two walked together in peace for a moment, before Seto's cell phone sounded. Muttering a curse under his breath, Seto pulled it out from under his coat.

"Seto Kaiba, KaibaCorp," he said impatiently. However, the voice on the other line almost made him gasp out loud.

"It's me," Joey said urgently. "And I've got some news that I don't think you're going to like."

* * *

**"Speeding Cars" - Imogen Heap**

**_Here's the day you hoped would never come  
Don't feed me violence, just run with me  
Through rows of speeding cars  
The paper cuts, the cheating lovers  
The coffee's never strong enough  
I know you think it's more than just bad luck_**

**_There, there, baby  
It's just text book stuff  
It's in the ABCs of growing up  
Now, now, darlin'  
Oh don't lose your head  
'Cause none of us were angels  
And you know I love you, yeah_**

**_Sleeping pills, no sleeping dogs lie never  
Far enough away  
Glistening in the cold sweat of guilt  
I've watched you slowly winding down for years  
You can't keep on like this  
Now is as bad of time as any_**

**_There, there, baby  
It's just text book stuff  
It's in the ABCs of growing up  
Now, now, darlin'  
Oh don't kill yourself  
'Cause none of us were angels  
And you know I love you, yeah_**

**_It's okay by me  
It's okay by me  
It's okay by me  
It was a long time ago_**

**_It's okay by me  
It's okay by me  
It's okay by me  
It was a long time ago_**

**_There, there, baby  
It's just text book stuff  
It's in the ABCs of growing up  
Now, now, darlin'  
Oh don't lose your head  
'Cause none of us were angels  
And you know I love you, yeah_**

**_There, there, baby  
It's just text book stuff  
It's in the ABCs of growing up  
Now, now, darlin'  
Oh, don't kill yourself  
'Cause none of us were angels  
And you know I love you, yeah_**


	11. If Everyone Cared

Shekiah here, with another exciting batch of STNW. It gets dramatic again, cause as much as I hate to admit it, I missed the drama. Prepare for fast cars and swearing and cheap magazines and all of that great stuff. And did I mention drama? Good stuff, that drama…  
It's been enough chapters that I feel the need to restate my disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, because if I did, there would be less card games… and more drama. ;D

I usually limit my updates to once a week, but I've been writing like crazy lately and I'm dying to know what you guys think of this stuff... And besides, that cliffhanger was a dirty trick to throw in at the end of that nice lil' chapter. ;)

Oh – and many kudos to SanMirLover for her AMAZING idea that got this chapter up off the ground (Yeah she reviewed with the idea like a million years ago… but it's been simmering in my mind… lol) :D

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba demanded, swerving and pulling over into an empty lot. "This had better be good, it _was_ my night off." 

"Oh, you'll want to see it," Joey sighed. "I'm at Tristan's place; his parents aren't home, though. Drop by."

"Are you out of your mind?" Kaiba demanded. Mokuba gave him a questioning glance. He held up his hand, as if to say that he would explain the situation to Mokuba in a second.

"Oh yes," Joey replied sarcastically. "It's all a joke. We really have a surprise party planned. Oh shit, I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"

"Quit being a dumbass."

Mokuba gave Seto an even more suspicious look. This clearly wasn't an associate, or Seto wouldn't swear so freely. And Seto rarely ever got calls from anybody but associates. If he did, it was usually Mokuba himself. This was getting weirder and weirder. After a pause in which Mokuba could just barely hear somebody speaking on the other end, Seto spoke up again.

"So you can't tell me over the phone? Whatever. Tell me where the house _is_, at least."

Another pause.

"You mean the one on the _left_ or the one on the _right_? … Well, you weren't very clear. No, I'm not in some 'stupid-ass car' as you put it. No limo. Just the convertible I dropped you off in earlier. Yes, other people drive this same convertible. Okay, I'll be there in five."

Seto slammed the phone down, swearing again. He pulled up the parking brake and spun the car around in the parking lot before swerving out into traffic. A few seconds later and he would have nailed a semi, but he knew better. Mokuba observed that they were now headed back in the general direction from whence they had come.

"Seto…" he ventured after a minute or two. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to meet Wheeler," Seto grunted under his breath.

"Joey?" Mokuba inquired quietly, refastening his seatbelt when he noticed how quickly and aggressively Seto was driving.

"Yeah. He's at Taylor's place."

"Were they the ones on the phone?"

"Wheeler was, yeah."

"But why was he calling you, Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked.

"Hell if I know."

"He didn't say?"

"No Mokuba," Seto sighed, his patience wearing thin. "He didn't say. Just that he had some bad news and I needed to be there ASAP."

"Oh."

Mokuba still had a million unanswered questions, but knew better than to persist. Seto had gone from content and peaceful to downright angry in such a short time, all because of that call. Even if he didn't know the exact cause of the call, Wheeler must have sounded serious enough to make him sufficiently nervous.

"I'm going too, right?" Mokuba said, not wanting to leave his brother in a state like this.

"Apparently."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Seto checking his watch at what seemed like every stoplight. Mokuba watched him, knowing how on edge he was. Seto was afraid of something, and whatever it was that Joey said seemed to have confirmed his fears. His brother never flat-out let on that he was anxious or discomforted, but there were subtle signs that Mokuba always picked up on. Seto had this funny way of running his fingers through his hair and biting his lip. Mokuba could always tell.

"Nii-sama, it can't be that bad," he finally said, hoping to comfort his brother a little bit.

"I hope not, Mokuba."

The silence resumed. Seto apparently didn't want to talk.

Finally, the two pulled into a subdivision. There was a row of white paneled houses and finally a brick one on the corner. Seto pulled into the driveway of this house. Mokuba unfastened his seat belt and wait for some kind of instruction.

"Supposedly this is the place, kid."

The two didn't have to wonder for long, because they had hardly had time to step out of the car before Joey bounded out of the front door and down the steps.

"Get in quick, before somebody sees," he said, pulling Seto inside. Then he noticed Mokuba.

"Oh, you came too," Joey said dryly. "You know, you didn't mention anything about bringin' the kid, Kaiba."

"Tough luck," Seto called from inside.

"Hello to you too," Mokuba muttered, scrunching up his nose.

"Sorry kid," Joey sighed. "You can come in too. Just try and stay out of the way. Oh, don't get me wrong. You're cool and all, but we didn't exactly kid-proof the house or nothin'."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and wandered in behind the older boys, shutting the door behind him.

"I think I can handle it."

It really wasn't too bad. There were a few half-empty six packs scattered around the sofa on the floor, and a variety of rather inappropriate magazines lying open on the coffee table. An old Nintendo with some kind of car racing game was hooked up to the TV, but looked as though it had been abandoned several hours ago.

"Nice place you've got here," Kaiba said rather sarcastically. Tristan shrugged.

"This is what we called you about," Joey interrupted, tossing one of the magazines over to Seto. He caught it and swore as he looked at the cover. It wasn't so much a magazine as it was a tabloid. A rather infamous one at that.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, brandishing it.

"It's the new _Star Inquirer _that hits every newsstand between here and Tokyo at midnight tonight," Joey said dryly. "We got hold of it early, cuz Tea works at that magazine stand in the mall."

"How did they hear about this?" Seto demanded, still at a loss. He sunk into a leather sofa, his head in his hands. Mokuba sat down beside him, reading the headline over his shoulder.

"Stuff like this doesn't stay secret, Kaiba," Joey said, rummaging through the layer of _Penthouse _magazines on the coffee table and throwing a small collection of tabloids with similar headings on Seto's lap. Miserably, Kaiba read some of them out loud.

"_CEO on the Decline? Self-Help for Seto Kaiba_?"

"Uh-huh. And my personal favorite."

Joey brandished a magazine that Seto had not yet taken the time to look over.

"_KaibaCorp's Have-All Boy Loses it All,_" Seto read blankly.

"Yeah," Tristan sighed. "And the articles aren't any better."

"Are you kidding, man?" Joey asked, giving his friend a look. "He'll be lucky if he can go out in public for the next _year._"

"Why did you call me about this?" Seto asked, flipping through the glossy pages of one of the magazines and grimacing at the overwritten, half-baked accounts of his time spent at the Domino Tech TDEDV meetings.

"Yeah," Mokuba replied. "It's not like we can do anything about it now."

Joey shrugged.

"Better to find out from us tonight than from the paparazzi tomorrow."

"Yeah," Seto admitted. "I guess so. But what the hell is this, anyway?"

The particular article that Seto was reading was rather long and wordy, but the idea was that he had killed Noa Kaiba to cause himself to be adopted into the Kaiba family and get a share of the fortune. It also suggested, in a rather round-about way, that he was accusing Gozaburo of abuse at this point to put the blame on somebody else's shoulders and remove his own crime from the public eye.

"This is bullshit!" Kaiba said, throwing it across the room. Joey nodded grimly.

"Yeah. Some of them are worse, though."

Joey pulled out the original magazine, flipped to the title article, and read a few sentences out loud. He stopped for a second at one point, and looked over at Kaiba.

"Are you sure you want Mokuba around for this?" he asked, sounding less tough and a little bit more concerned.

"Just give the magazine here," Seto sighed, reaching for it. "I can read, too."

Seto read where Joey had indicated, aware that his younger brother was reading over his shoulder but too engrossed to care. Joey knew when they got to the point in the article to which he had been referring because of the way Kaiba closed his eyes and sunk back into the sofa. He put the magazine down on the table and ran a slender hand through his hair.

"Bullshit to the extreme?" Joey asked dryly, sinking down into a recliner to the left of the sofa where Kaiba sat. Before replying, Kaiba sighed deeply. His voice shook a little.

"No, it's not bullshit, extreme or otherwise… The problem is, _it's all true_."

Joey and Tristan exchanged looks of horror. The same tears that were stinging at Seto's eyes came to Mokuba as well, but the younger Kaiba didn't try as hard to suppress them. Instead he simply sat, tears running silently down his face. He put his head on the motionless shoulder of his older brother and sat there silently, trying not to tremble too much.

"So what do we do now?" Tristan asked after a few minutes. "Do we call somebody who knows what to do? What about Yugi?"

"Let's not get anybody else involved," Joey said quietly. "Let's just let it be, for a minute or two."

Tristan silently reached for a few beers and uncapped them, passing one to Joey. Joey took a long drink before setting it down.

"Want something to drink?" he asked Kaiba after a minute or two.

"I shouldn't. I'll be driving home in a minute or two."

"You sure you wanna do that?" Joey asked, wondering if Kaiba was in any state to drive. He made a weak attempt at humor. "I bet _you_ could afford to call a taxi."

"No, I can drive. But in a minute or so – not right this second. I'll be right back."

Kaiba stood rather unsteadily and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. As he neared the door, he picked up speed a little and ended up slamming the door. Mokuba slumped over, occupying his brother's seat as well as his own. He dried his eyes on the corner of Seto's discarded coat.

"Thanks for calling us, guys," he said softly.

"Really?" Joey asked. "I was regretting it."

"Me too," Tristan agreed. "I had no idea…"

Mokuba nodded, his eyes closing placidly. He had already cried all of his tears.

"I didn't either."

At this revelation, the boys again fell silent. Joey wiped his nose on his sleeve in an almost surreptitious way, as though he didn't want either of his companions to know that his eyes had teared up – a little. But it wasn't as if either of them cared, anyway. Mokuba had been crying quietly all evening, and Tristan had sniffed once or twice himself. Finally, Joey spoke up.

"Well, at least nobody will believe it," he said. "It's in there with all that other made-up crap. Nobody has to know anything."

"Yeah…" Mokuba agreed. "Yeah… that's good, at least."

"Have a coke," Joey offered, finding his own strength from taking charge. He handed Mokuba a can from a different six pack on the floor. "And save some for your brother too. I think he's kinda sick."

"After reading that, I don't blame him," Tristan sighed.

Mokuba silently took the coke and drank about half of it. About the time he finished, Seto returned and picked his coat up off the sofa.

"Thanks for the warning and all," Seto sighed as he walked towards the door. "Come on, Mokuba. We're going home."

* * *

"**If Everyone Cared" – Nickelback**

_**From underneath the trees, we watch the sky  
Confusing stars for satellites  
I never dreamed that you'd be mine  
But here we are, we're here tonight**_

_**Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive**_

_**If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died**_

_**And I'm singing**_

_**Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive  
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive  
**_

_**And in the air the fireflies**_

_**Our only light in paradise  
We'll show the world they were wrong  
And teach them all to sing along**_

_**Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive**_

_**(I'm alive)**_

_**If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died**__**  
**_

_**And as we lie beneath the stars  
We realize how small we are  
If they could love like you and me  
Imagine what the world could be**_

_**If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died  
**_

_**When nobody died...**_

_**We'd see the day, we'd see the day  
When nobody died  
We'd see the day, we'd see the day  
When nobody died**_

_**We'd see the day when nobody died..**_


	12. Stay With You

So… we're chugging along with STNW. I'm writing and I'm not stopping and oh man… this fic has truly developed a life of its own. XD Thanks for all of your continued support. Keep it up!

**IMPORTANT BULLETIN: Many of you have asked about what _exactly_ Kaiba went through that screwed him up so much. I imagine you guys already have a pretty good idea; you're are all writers, and there are millions of Kaiba brothers-abuse fics on this site. I don't feel as though I'm in a position to write something so graphic in enough detail to make it worth reading - especially in a T-rated story. Thanks for understanding and sticking with me.  
**

I promise this chapter is still exciting! And if not, your money back. ;)

* * *

"That was the most embarrassing event in the history of my life," Seto said, collapsing onto a couch in the living room of the Kaiba mansion. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, pulling his coat closer around him.

"I'm so sorry, big brother," Mokuba said softly, dragging a trash can over beside where Seto lay – just in case – before taking a seat next to him on the floor. "I really am."

"I'm beginning to wish I'd taken those two fools up on a beer or two."

"We have some sake in the fridge from that meeting last week, if you really want it that bad," Mokuba replied hesitantly, biting his lip.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll get it."

Seto remained in somewhat of a stupor, only dimly aware of what was going on around him. He felt drunk already, what would a little sake hurt? And of the hangover to follow? Screw that. It wasn't as though he had plans to go anywhere the next day. Like Joey said, if he could show his face in public again he'd be way ahead of the game. And anyway, it wasn't like he'd drink that much. Not really. Just enough to dim everything down a little bit. Blur the harsh, fine lines enough to make things thinkable again.

"Here you are, Seto," Mokuba said, handing his brother a shallow cup full of the bitter, clear drink.

"Thanks, Mokuba. Go to bed, if you want. I need to be alone."

"Okay, big brother."

However, Mokuba had no intention of following his brother's direction. He had just opened the new bottle of sake, and knew that Seto wouldn't just take what he gave him. In this state, he was capable of pretty much anything. No, Mokuba knew better than to leave Seto alone like this. He knew all too well what could come of that.

He'd seen it happen to their father.

No, not Gozaburo. Their birth father. Seto had thought that his brother was too young to understand, but that was not the case. Their father hadn't really been an alcoholic, per se, but he had a very addictive personality. As the story went, he'd been through hell and back to give up smoking before Seto was born, but he'd managed. However, after their mother died, he'd given up hope. He took up drinking, and the habit became an all-out addiction. It was alcohol poisoning that finally got the better of him – and landed the boys in the orphanage.

Seto had never touched any of them. Drugs, alcohol; he'd known better. Being the first kid, he thought he'd probably inherited it. He'd always turned them down whenever they were offered to him – until now.

Hence, Mokuba knew better than to leave Seto alone like this.

Mokuba sat in his brother's study, wondering what horrible chain of events had brought them here. To this terrible, lonely night. When the world was turned upside down and he'd had to take charge and take care of his older brother.

Mokuba thought that he heard footsteps in the kitchen. It had to be Seto. Who else would it be?

The tears started to come back. Those stupid tears that he thought he had finished earlier.

Suddenly and without any kind of warning, he was interrupted by the ringing of Seto's office phone. When he'd come to his senses, he immediately picked it up so that the ringing wouldn't disturb Seto.

"Hello?" he asked hoarsely, cradling the large black receiver with two small hands.

"Mokuba? It's Joey again."

"Joey?" Mokuba asked, still not thinking entirely straight.

"Yeah. Tristan and I are sitting around here feeling like shit over what happened with you and your brother," he sighed.

"I'm not feeling so great myself," Mokuba admitted.

"Yeah… why are you answering your brother's office phone, anyway? I thought for sure that he'd be in there working like a slave to get his mind off of everything."

"He usually does," Mokuba said softly. "But not now."

Mokuba paused.

"He wanted me to leave him alone, but I couldn't do that."

"Why not, man?" Joey asked, sounding as though he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Because he's doing something I've never seen him do, ever. He's drinking, and in no small quantity."

"Oh hell," Joey whispered.

"I told him that we had sake in the refrigerator, and he just completely went off on it."

"Why the hell did you tell him that?" Joey demanded.

"Because he'd just get it himself anyway. And I couldn't see him like that and not do something."

Joey softened up a little.

"Alright kid. It's okay. Where is he?"

"He's on the couch. If he gets up again, I don't even know what I'm going to do. He has no tolerance for this stuff. He never, ever drinks, and you know how skinny he is."

"Is he still conscious?"

"Apparently, because he's still downing the stuff," Mokuba said, his voice cracking.

"I'm coming over."

"What?" Mokuba asked incredulously.

"I'm coming over," Joey announced again. "This is just too much."

"You can't do that," Mokuba said, still in disbelief.

"Why not?"

"I… I don't know."

"Exactly," Joey replied. "So what's the code to open the gates?"

"It's 10-25…" Mokuba found himself saying. "It's his birthday - Seto programmed it in after our stepfather died."

"His birthday?" Joey demanded. "That seems a little easy to guess, don't you think?"

Mokuba faltered.

"I don't know... we haven't ever had anyone try to break in before anyway."

"Whatever. I have it written down. I'll be over in five minutes – at the latest."

He was about to hang up when Mokuba spoke up again.

"Joey – wait," he said. "Are _you_ sober enough to drive?"

Joey laughed.

"Are you kidding, kid? A beer and a half is nothing to me."

"Okay, if you say so."

Mokuba didn't feel as if this was the time to point out that this was still a beer and a half over the legal limit for a minor. Firstly, he didn't think that Joey would listen anyway. And secondly, he was so desperate for company that he hardly cared himself.

Mokuba decided to wait for Joey on the front porch. Funny, it was where he always used to wait for Seto, back when he first started working. Mokuba brushed a hand up against the window and realized that it was a surprisingly cold night. Grabbing a fleece blanket off of a shelf in the study, he wrapped it around himself and sat outside waiting.

True to his word, Joey arrived in well under five minutes. He had no trouble unlocking the gates, and was down the driveway and beside Mokuba before the younger Kaiba really knew what was going on.

"Okay," Joey said, rubbing his hands together with the energy that he'd accumulated in the adrenaline rush that made him drop everything and come over. "It is chilly out here. Let's go inside."

Inwardly agreeing, Mokuba opened the door and the two stood side by side, alone in the entryway.

"Kid," Joey started, "you've been through way too much already tonight."

Mokuba nodded solemnly, blinking back tears again.

"You need to go to sleep. Hell, forget sleep, you need to go upstairs and bury your head in your pillow and cry your eyes out. You don't have to be a little man all the time; it's okay to do that sometimes, you know. And men cry, too."

Mokuba nodded, looking as though he might not hold out until he made it upstairs. Feeling a surge of intense sympathy, Joey knelt down on one knee and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy in a tight, older-brotherly kind of a hug. Mokuba did likewise, holding on to Joey like he would Seto – if Seto were around and okay.

"Just hang in there, kid," Joey whispered. "I'll take care of your brother. He's in good hands."

Mokuba nodded, pulling away and racing up the stairs to his room. Joey shook his head. Poor, poor kid. But what a trooper.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be so simple with the older one.

Joey walked through the kitchen, trying to find his way through to the living room. From the way Mokuba talked, it sounded like it was somewhere between the dining room and the study. And dining rooms were generally off the kitchen…

Ah-hah.

Joey wandered into a room just beyond the cases of china and mahogany dining table. He could see a few sofas and an entertainment center outlined in the dark, and could barely see the outline of a person huddled on the couch, a half-empty bottle of sake at his feet.

"Rise and shine," Joey said rather loudly, turning on nearby lamp. Blinded by its brightness, he dimmed it down a few clicks with a dial on the wall.

"Wheeler?"

The syllables were a little slurred, and it sounded nothing like Kaiba at all. It was deep and could have been someone like him, but it carried none of the usual superiority or contempt. It just sounded like a pathetically drunk teenage boy.

And the person speaking looked almost nothing like Kaiba either. His trench coat didn't look half as formidable thrown over him like a blanket, and his usually perfectly neat hair was ruffled until it stood almost on end. He had a lost-boy look in his eyes, as though he didn't know exactly who he was or how he got there.

"Yeah. It's me."

"What are you doing here, Wheeler?" Seto asked. He didn't seem angry; so much as he seemed genuinely curious as to what Joey was doing in his living room at midnight on a Saturday. He also looked as though he was trying to pick out _which_ Joey he was talking to. He could have counted about four.

"I called because I felt so bad about what happened earlier. And your brother told me that you got into the rice-wine."

"Why would he tell somebody like you a think like that?" Seto demanded. Joey laughed, a sound somewhere between amusement and a sick feeling of pity.

"Now you're sounding like yourself. See? You're figuring out who I am and everything's coming back."

"I don't want anything to come back," Seto said softly, moaning a little as he reached for the bottle of sake. "I obviously need more if things are coming back."

Joey bit his lip, feeling so terribly sorry for this poor lost child before him that he didn't even know what to do.

"I know you don't want anything to come back," he whispered, more to himself than to Seto. "I wouldn't either."

However, he knew that he needed to act quickly. Joey quickly reached for the bottle of sake, and as his balance was much better than Seto's, he pulled it out of its owner's reach very quickly.

"You're out of sake," Joey lied, picking up the bottle and putting it on the bookshelf. "None left."

"But I had some, just a second ago," Seto insisted, reaching out an arm.

"Well now you're out."

"Really?" Seto whispered.

"Really," Joey replied quietly. "But you've had enough."

"I haven't had enough, though," Seto insisted, his voice cracking. "I still remember, so I haven't had enough."

"It's okay to remember, though," Joey said, "you'll have to remember sometime."

"But I want to _never_ remember," Seto said, looking almost as though he realized how little sense was made by the words he was saying. But Joey understood.

"You can't do that, though."

"Why not?"

"Because your memories, what's happened in your life… they're a part of you. Like your company is a part of you. And Mokuba is a part of you."

"Nothing that happened with Gozaburo is part of me," Seto said forcefully, giving Joey a furious look. However, his fervor was interrupted by a nasty coughing spell that ended with him retching rather un-glamorously into the wastebasket beside him. Joey gave him a pitying look, running his fingers through his own blonde hair.

"Yeah… I know. It sucks."

Suddenly, Joey got an idea. The regular Kaiba would never, in a million years, admit to or live up to what happened with his stepfather. But clearly, Joey wasn't dealing with the regular Kaiba. And circumstance regardless, it would do him a world of good to get this off his chest. Well, might as well make the best of the situation; here went nothing.

"Tell me about Gozaburo," Joey urged gently, handing Kaiba the fleece blanket that Mokuba had discarded. Kaiba accepted it, and wrung it through his hands as he spoke.

* * *

**"Stay With You" – Goo Goo Dolls**

_**These streets  
Turn me inside out  
Everything shines  
But leaves me empty still  
And I'll, burn this lonely house down**_

_**If you run with me  
If you run with me**_

_**I'll stay with you  
The walls will fall before we do  
Take my hand now  
We'll run forever  
I can feel the storm inside you**_

_**I'll stay with you**_

_**Fooled by my own desires  
I twist my fate  
Just to feel you  
But you, turn me toward the light  
**_

_**And you're one with me  
Will you run with me?**_

_**I'll stay with you  
The walls will fall before we do  
Take my hand now  
We'll run forever  
I can feel the storm inside you**_

_**I'll stay with you**_

_**Now come in from this storm  
I taste you sweet and warm  
Take what you need**_

_**Take what you need  
From me**_

_**Wake up this world  
Wake up tonight  
And run with me  
Run to me now**_

_**I'll stay with you  
The walls will fall before we do  
Take my hand now  
We'll run forever  
I can feel the storm inside you**_

_**I'll stay with you...**_


	13. Superman

So yeah… I would love to have seen a dancing-on-tabletops-drunk Seto too, but you know, that's just too OOC for the sake of fun. :) ;; I might devote a humor ficlet to that, but it doesn't have its place in STNW, if you know what I mean. Thanks again for all the feedback. Lots of love!

* * *

"I beat him at chess, and he adopted us," Seto said softly, looking up. 

"You told me about that at the meeting," Joey told him gently. "What about the part where you stopped?"

"I stopped?" Seto asked, giving Joey a confused look. "I told everything then."

"No," Joey explained patiently. "You got to one part, and then you left. You finished the story when you came back, but you didn't pick up where you left off."

"But I didn't skip anything," Seto repeated obstinately, childishly.

Joey took a deep breath. Luka was right; whatever it is was buried in there pretty deep. He hoped he wouldn't have to take out what remained of the sake to achieve his means, but he wasn't above pulling something like that if need be. Seto was going to admit to that last little fact, damn it! Joey had a pretty good idea from what he read in the tabloid, but Kaiba needed to admit it first hand – the sooner, the better.

"You said something about coming home one day…"

"I didn't."

"Yes, you were on your back from school, and Mokuba told you not to come in. But you didn't listen, and something happened. What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"Kaiba… Seto, calm down and listen to me," Joey said, taking Seto by the shoulders as he would a child whose mind wandered during his studies. "It was after you and Mokuba tried to run away from home together."

"No… no… no, stop!" Seto said fervently, shaking his head. "Nothing happened that day. I can't… it didn't…"

"Shh," Joey said, still managing to keep his head, although he could feel his pulse rising. "Just calm down. Something happened. You said the bruises from the bus stop hadn't healed yet…"

As Joey's voice trailed off, something in Seto's countenance changed. It was an instant metamorphosis. He assumed a strange look that could almost be described as self-assured or victorious, a far cry from his childish terror of moments before. He shook his head, almost smiling.

"Oh, that," he said, laughing rather unnaturally.

"What was _that_?" Joey asked, speaking slowly. Seto shook his head, as though to dismiss the situation as being of little consequence. His next words chilled Joey.

"It was the _bad thing_."

"The bad thing?" Joey repeated, surprised at the sound of his voice shaking.

"Yes. It was just bad."

"You need to tell me about the bad thing, Seto. Can you do that?"

"It was just bad."

Joey shook his head. He'd hit a roadblock again, but much sooner than he'd expected. He'd run out of phrases to prompt Seto; they were quite obviously on the right page. However, for whatever reason, Seto couldn't – _wouldn't _– remember what happened that day. Suddenly, Joey got another idea. Along with it came the sick certainty that it was going to work.

Well – no turning back now.

"Is that bad thing what the magazine article talked about?" Joey asked halfheartedly, waiting for the reaction that he knew was quickly to follow.

"The magazine article…" Seto repeated, his voice going up a pitch. "Yes. Yes, that – that was the bad thing."

Suddenly, and without any warning at all, Seto became uncontrollably sick. Some sudden revulsion combined with the overabundance of alcohol in his system must have triggered it. Powerless to do anything, Joey just stood off to the side waiting for the madness to end. Finally, Seto drew a ragged breath. It was over.

"Are you… are you okay?" Joey asked, leaning in a little. Seto nodded and continued with an eerie sense of calm.

"I'm okay, but you aren't. You need to hear the real story, because the article wasn't all real," he said softly, lying back down on the sofa-pillow behind him. Joey knew that the "real story" is what he had spent the last half-hour trying to get out of Seto, but he wasn't sure at this point if he could handle it. What would he do, if for some reason it got to a point where he just couldn't listen anymore? He couldn't exactly run away.

Well… he was in it for the long haul. As Seto started speaking, his words drew Joey away to a lifetime that he couldn't imagine, and a terror far greater than that which he himself had faced. He found himself fully engrossed and at the same time fully horrified, hanging on to every detail…

* * *

Joey watched Seto a few minutes after the story was finished. He lay silently, his bright blue eyes finally closed. His chest rose and fell as he breathed. Yes, it was finally all over. When he awoke, he would probably have a splitting headache, but hopefully nothing worse. He hadn't passed out from all the alcohol, mostly because there wasn't enough left in his system to cause that. No, he had just fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion. His head sideways on the pillow, hair tousled. With the tear-streaks on his face, he looked almost like a petulant child who had cried himself to sleep. 

And in a bizarre way, he kind of was.

Joey felt sick himself, just from hearing all this. It was hard to watch somebody completely break down in front of you and not be at least somewhat affected. Especially someone like Seto Kaiba. They'd always been rivals, alike only in their intense disdain for the other. Somehow, this made them almost like casual friends. The boy that you always pass on the way to chemistry but never say hello to because you're afraid that he won't remember you.

But after tonight, there was a terrifying kind of bond there. Joey knew things that Mokuba didn't. Things that Seto might not even remember when he awoke. And somehow, he felt almost accountable for the things he had been told. The vault had been emptied; did it need to close – but within Joey instead?

Kaiba had come on the scene a broken man held together by invisible threads – but these kinds of threads didn't last forever. And it was Joey that witnessed their breaking.

The bigger the come, the harder they fall, he supposed.

Lamely wondering what to do next but having no intention of sleeping, Joey reached for the sake that remained on the shelf. It was so little by his standards that he'd probably still be entirely clear-minded by the time it was gone, but it was something. Something to _do_, really. Funny, it was _still_ more than Kaiba had consumed – and _he_ was a total mess. Alcohol was weird that way.

Joey put the bottle to his lips and took a sip. Ugh. Cold sake was good. Hot sake was good. But lukewarm sake definitely wasn't hitting on much. Shrugging, he took a few more sips. Despite the temperature, he had to admit that it was excellent sake. Leave it to Kaiba to know how to get wasted in style.

But then again, Kaiba probably had no intent of impulsively draining half of it in one sitting at the time he had purchased it.

Funny how life worked.

Yes, it was a funny life that they led. Between the half-bottle of sake and his exhaustion in general, he suddenly found his eyelids drooping. Wouldn't it be funny… yes, it would be terribly funny… to fall asleep in Seto Kaiba's living room on a Saturday night…

Before Joey knew it, he was asleep on the carpet in front of the sofa.

* * *

When Joey awoke almost three hours later, the clock on the mantle read four AM – on the dot. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and looked around for a moment, wondering where he was. Only when the sleeping figure on the sofa and the abandoned sake bottle came into focus did the many events of the evening come flooding back.

Joey's immediate impulse was to curl back up and go back to sleep immediately.

However, he knew that this probably wasn't the wisest idea ever. Instead, he crawled over to the sofa. The breathing of his fellow inebriated living room occupant was as even as ever. Yeah, Kaiba was still out – like a light. He probably wouldn't come around until at least eight or nine. Good for him.

Joey stood, with the aid of a nearby chair. Hell, his head wasn't feeling so great either. He might have miscounted the beers at Tristan's. Or maybe he just felt like shit anyway.

It would be good to check on Mokuba. Man, it was good that the kid hadn't had to witness that; thank heaven he'd come over when he had. He'd seen people drunk; he'd seen grown men pass out where they stood. He could deal. Yeah, that was it. He could keep telling himself that. And he'd believe it.

But he was still feeling more terrible than ever. On to something else to take his mind off of everything. Mokuba – that's right. He was going to check on Mokuba. Where were the stairs? Or, some stairs? There had to be a couple dozen; it wouldn't be too hard to run across one, hung-over or otherwise. Okay, there was the set in the foyer. He could get himself that far without a problem.

As Joey reached the landing of the stairs, he could just barely hear the sound of soft, sleepy breathing. He walked up the rest of the staircase and commenced to follow the sound. Down the hallway, into a room on the left. Easy enough.

He found himself in a sparsely furnished but extremely spacious room. Absent were any of the model airplanes or Shonen Manga posters that one would expect to adorn the room of a twelve or thirteen-year-old. The bed was king-size, and looked as though it might swallow the small figure nestled between the pillows. There was a dresser against the wall to left, a small glass Blue-Eyes figurine adorning the surface.

Ah, so this was _Seto's_ room. That explained a lot.

Joey wasn't sure if he should wake Mokuba up. _He_ would rather still be asleep, not going to lie. But then again, he was sure that Mokuba would want an update on his brother. And he'd need to know what to do to take care of him the next morning. Because heaven knows Seto wasn't going to take care of himself, and Joey would be gone by then.

Or would he?

He hadn't really thought that far ahead yet. He had been living from minute to minute, and trying to make sure that Seto did too. They were both still alive, and it was hours later, so he must have done something right. Well, either way, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. Now, he'd talk to Mokuba.

"Hey… Mokuba," he whispered, walking over to the younger boy's bedside. Not getting any response, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Seto?" a sleepy voice asked softly. Joey smiled a little in the dark.

"No, not Seto. It's me; Joey."

"Joey?" Mokuba asked, sounding very confused. However, suddenly he sat bolt-upright. Everything had come back to him.

"How is Seto?" Mokuba demanded, taking Joey's hand in a death-grip.

"Shh…take it easy, kid," Joey said softly, taking a seat on the corner of the bed. "Your brother is gonna be fine."

Mokuba sighed deeply, his voice shaking with relief.

"Thank you so, so much. Have you been here all this time?"

"Yeah, I have. I've been asleep for the last three hours or so, though."

"Has Seto?" Mokuba asked softly.

"Yeah, he has," Joey assured. Then he laughed a little, trying to sound upbeat and wondering at the same time how badly he was failing. "What, do you think I'd leave him to his own devices for that long? No way. He was pretty out of it when I got here."

"I know," Mokuba replied solemnly. "How much sake did he have, after it was all said and done?"

Joey shrugged.

"About a half a bottle. Something like that."

"A half-bottle?" Mokuba demanded in horror. "And he was still conscious after all of that?"

"Well," Joey chuckled, "he was getting rid of it about as fast as he was taking it in, to be honest with you. Were you the rocket scientist who elected to put the wastebasket next to the sofa? You saved your upholstery – big time."

Mokuba laughed a little.

"Yeah, that was me."

"So how are _you_ holding up, kid?" Joey asked, giving Mokuba a look of concern.

"Okay, I guess," Mokuba replied. "Not great, but okay."

"Okay's all you can do sometimes, little man," Joey said, cuffing Mokuba lightly on the shoulder. "Tell you what. I'll get you a glass of water, and then we can talk about tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Sounds good," Mokuba agreed. "There's a bunch of paper cups in the bathroom two doors down from me."

"Sure."

Joey was back in a few minutes, this time with a glass of water in small plain white cup.

"Here ya go."

Mokuba thanked him and took a sip of the water. It was a huge feeling of refreshment, almost like life coming back.

"So…" Joey started. "I dunno if I should stay the night or not."

"Well," Mokuba replied hesitantly. "Do you want to?"

"I don't care one way or the other. Your bathroom's cleaner than mine and you guys have way better booze, but I'd be fine going back to Tristan's place. He's probably still awake anyway, practicing MarioKart 64. He thinks he'll manage to kick my ass sometime. It'll never happen, but it gives him something to live for anyway."

Mokuba laughed, but his countenance quickly returned to one of concern.

"Joey?" he asked, his voice sounding smaller and younger than ever. "_Could_ you stay?"

Joey hesitated a second, but when his voice came, it sounded certain.

"Sure, Mokuba. If that's what you want."

"Yeah, it is what I want, if _you_ don't mind or anything. I don't know what to do when Seto wakes up, and he doesn't either. You've been hung-over enough times to know what do, right? No offense or anything."

Joey laughed.

"None taken. Yeah, I'll be happy to hang around."

"There's a guest room across the hall," Mokuba informed him. "There should be clean sheets on the bed."

"Sounds great," Joey said. "Beats my place already."

"And Joey…" Mokuba said, hesitating a little. "You must make a great big brother."

Joey shrugged and smiled.

"Thanks, little man. It means a lot."

* * *

"**Superman" – Five For Fighting**

_**I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naïve  
I'm just out to find  
The better part of me**_

_**I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane  
More than some pretty face beside a train  
**_

_**It's not easy to be me**_

_**Wish that I could cry  
Fall upon my knees  
Find a way to lie  
About a home I'll never see**_

_**It may sound absurd, but don't be naïve  
Even heroes have the right to bleed  
I may be disturbed, but won't you concede  
Even heroes have the right to dream**_

_**And it's not easy to be me**_

_**Up, up and away, away from me  
Well It's all right  
You can all sleep sound tonight**_

_**I'm not crazy... or anything**_

_**I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naïve  
Men weren't meant to ride**_

_**With clouds between their knees**_

_**I'm only a man in a silly red sheet  
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street  
Only a man in a funny red sheet  
Looking for special things inside of me  
**_

_**And it's not easy to be me...**_


	14. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been

STNW is back, right on schedule... with it's new kick-butt genre that actually fits. I feel like you all deserve to know that this is the second-to-last chapter. I know, it's a bit saddening, but I would feel bad if I just put up the next one and was randomly like "...the end!" So... for what it's worth, it's been quite a ride. Much love, enjoy the second to last installment!

* * *

As Seto awoke, his first feeling was one of extreme disorientation. And a dreadful pain in his head. Ahh. He could hardly sit up.

The events of the previous night were very much a blur. He must not have been at work… that's right. He had decided not to go. There was pizza, with Mokuba. And that kid from the meetings… after that, he remembered a strange house that he hadn't been to before. And Taylor was there… and Wheeler. Yes, Wheeler, had he come back with them? No, that couldn't possibly be. But he had been at Seto's house, the previous night. He had.

Seto gave up thinking for a second. It seemed to make his head throb worse. Hell, where was this headache coming from? It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer, once to each side of his head. It was almost like he had been drinking… a lot. Suddenly, he had a fleeting image of a bottle of sake. The same sake that he'd gotten for the meeting the week before. But why would he have been drinking it?

And why was he remembering a magazine article about him?

Wait, hadn't he given up thinking?

No, this was important. He could tell. The magazine articles… they'd been about Gozaburo. And everybody would be reading him. And some of that stuff was real. And it was bad. Very bad. Reading it had made him sick, it had made him drink.

And the drinking, Wheeler was there for that… but he hadn't been drinking.

It was like a half-remembered dream, trying to piece all of the previous night's events together. A little bit more would come back every few seconds, but that would just seem to make everything else he thought that he knew that much crazier.

He had been drinking. And Joey hadn't. But they were talking… about Gozaburo. And Seto had told him. The bad thing. The thing that he promised himself hadn't actually happened.

But when he was telling Joey, it felt so real. It had to be.

And that's where the memories ended. It was like a story where the pages had been torn out and scattered all over the place. Everything was there, but it didn't make a bit of sense.

Oh, wouldn't Mokuba come down or something? He couldn't stand to be alone anymore!

As though in response to his thoughts, someone appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

But it wasn't Mokuba. It was Wheeler.

At the sight of Joey Wheeler, all of the assorted facts that Seto had managed to compile from the last twenty-four hours came together into a story. An actual chain-of-events. And Seto had no idea how to respond to any of it. First of all, his pride was shattered. Absolutely beyond repair, beyond _any_ attempt to salvage it. It was no use even going down that route. So what was he going to say?

"Joey. Er, Wheeler, I, uh…" Seto started, looking for anything to say that would fit the situation. However, Joey held up a hand to silence him.

"Don't even. Just, be silent… for a second."

Joey approached Seto, no caution evident in his step. When he finally stood beside him, he put an arm around the other boy's shoulder. With a sudden rush of gratitude and empathy and loss of anything resembling any desire to keep any kind of selfish pride intact, Seto put him arm around Joey too.

Within moments, the two were embracing, both sobbing as though their hearts were going to break.

Seto finally sighed, pulling away and running his sleeve across his face. "What the hell do we do next?"

Joey sighed deeply.

"Well, how's your head, I guess?"

"Awful."

"Mine too."

"What, were _you_ drinking?" Seto asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah, I put some hurt on the sake too. Not to mention the beers at Tristan's."

Seto laughed dryly.

"Is there anything to do to make it calm down, just a little?"

"Well," Joey said thoughtfully, "Tristan swears by raw eggs. But that's too nasty either way. Personally, I'd rather keep the headache than down a couple of those. I stick with the tried and true: black coffee."

Seto nodded with some kind of familiarity.

"I'll give it a try. And some aspirin, too."

Joey shrugged.

"Might as well."

"I'll put a pot of coffee on," Seto suggested. "I think we have some coffee beans in the freezer."

Joey gave him an odd look.

"Coffee? In the freezer?"

"Yeah," Seto replied, shrugging. "It keeps it much fresher. And as rarely as we make it, it needs to stay that way longer."

"True."

The conversation felt very bizarre, for both of them. It was as though the two of them were grade-schoolers who had just had a sleepover. No one could have possibly guessed that twenty-four hours before they were mortal enemies. And there was really no gray area there – it had just happened like it happened. One second they hated one another passionately and the next they were crying together over an empty bottle of sake and a mutual lost innocence.

Funny how life worked.

In a fairly short amount of time, Seto had the coffee made. He handed Joey a full cup and kept one for himself also.

"Well," Joey sighed. "Bottoms up."

Seto nodded, scrunching up his nose. Joey laughed.

"You get used to it."

"Like you get used to hangovers?"

"Something like that, yeah."

The two drank coffee in silence for a few minutes.

"I was thinking, after some of what you said last night," Joey started. Seto interrupted him, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

"Could we possibly not talk about last night?"

"Well, it happened. You're going to have to talk about it sometime," Joey replied sharply. Seto shrugged in agreement, or at least resignation.

"Okay, so what about what I said?" Seto inquired.

"I think you need to talk to somebody else," Joey confessed. "Somebody who knows what they're doing."

"But I don't want to blurt all that shit out again. And I can't get completely drunk before every session."

Joey laughed.

"Yeah… you're right. But you _are_ going to have to talk about it eventually."

"I guess you're right."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Joey suddenly remembered something.

"Damn it," he said, slapping his forehead. "I was supposed to tell Mokuba when you got up. Do you wanna go talk to him now? He's downstairs playing video games."

"Yeah, I should do that. And apologize to him for going off the deep end last night," Seto sighed. Joey nodded rather empathetically.

"Wouldn't hurt. But don't beat yourself up about it too much," he said. "Everybody goes off the deep end sometimes. If you didn't, you wouldn't be human."

Seto raised an eyebrow.

"So you're admitting I'm human, is that it? I remember a time not terribly long ago when you had your doubts."

Joey sniggered.

"Yeah, I'll be the first to admit that. But anybody who can get drunk like that couldn't be anything but human. That was art, man."

Seto shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. I'm going to go talk to Mokie."

As Seto walked through the kitchen, he looked at the mess surrounding the steaming coffee pot. There were the little coffee grounds that he had accidentally spilled as he poured them out of the bag. And the few filters littering the counter. Apparently Joey had pulled out a few extra by accident and hadn't felt the need to put them back in the box. Haha. That was _so_ Joey.

Damn. This wasn't getting any less weird. Seto shook his head. How was Mokuba going to react to this awkward friendship? Hell, was that what it was – a _friendship? _That seemed like a very serious word. But then again, enemies – or for that matter, casual acquaintances – don't get drunk together at four AM. They don't chug black coffee and advise one another about getting counseling.

So, that about summed it up. He and Joey must be friends. He had heard one time that hate and love weren't opposites. Hate and indifference were opposites – hate and love were both passion, which put them pretty close to the same thing. He hadn't put too much stock into that theory at the time, but honestly. It made logical sense. And Seto was all about logical sense.

But did friends work that way – hate each other passionately forever and then randomly come together to be as close as brothers in one night's time? Traditionally, he didn't get the impression that that was the case. Then the two of them must just be a little bit different.

Well, he had known that anyway.

Seto's thoughts came to a close as he approached the French doors that led to the game room in the basement. He knocked lightly before going in. Mokuba saw him through the windows and dropped his controller without even pausing the game. He rushed over, threw the doors open, and hurled himself into his brother's arms.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed, latching onto his older brother as though he would never ever let go. Seto remained silent, holding Mokuba close and denying the few tears that came into his eyes.

"Mokuba…" he finally sighed. "I have a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

Mokuba, however, pulled away and shook his head.

"No, Seto. You don't have to. Please don't – it's over. And it's all okay. You are okay, aren't you?"

"I'm okay if you're okay, little brother. Let's sit down. I must admit, my head is still killing me."

Mokuba laughed as he flopped down on the sofa.

"Joey said that it might."

Seto took a seat beside him, giving him a quizzical yet slightly amused look.

"So you and Joey talked a lot last night?"

"Well, not a whole lot," Mokuba shrugged. "He called your office phone a few minutes after you… after you laid down on the sofa. I told him what was going on – Oh Seto, I didn't have anyone else to turn to!"

"I'm not angry," Seto promised quickly. "You did all that you could. And you did the right thing."

"Thank you," Mokuba smiled. "He insisted on coming over. When he first got here, he told me to go to bed. Actually he said that I should just go upstairs and relax and let go – that I'd been through enough."

Seto nodded, his expression bittersweet. Again, that was so Joey.

"And then he woke me up awhile later to tell me that you were doing okay. He asked me if I wanted him to stay, and I said that I did. Seto, he's just so wonderful. Really, he is. He cares a lot."

"I understand that now," Seto said softly. "He's a good man, that Joey Wheeler."

"Does that mean you'll be friends with him now?" Mokuba looked up hopefully. Seto laughed.

"Well, I _have_ to be friends with him now, don't I?" he asked. "He knows too much!"

Mokuba laughed, again hugging his brother.

"I love you, Seto."

"I love you too, Mokuba."

* * *

"**Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" – Relient k**

_**I watched the proverbial sunrise  
Coming up over the Pacific and  
You might think I'm losing my mind,  
But I will shy away from the specifics...**_

_**'cause I don't want you to know where I am  
'cause then you'll see my heart  
In the saddest state it's ever been.  
This is no place to try and live my life.**_

_**Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.  
See that line? Well I never should have crossed it.  
Stop right there. Well I never should have said  
That it's the very moment that  
I wish that I could take back.**_

_**I'm sorry for the person I became.  
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.  
I'm ready to try and never become that way again  
'cause who I am hates who I've been.**_

_**Who I am hates who I've been.**_

_**I talk to absolutely no one.  
Couldn't keep to myself enough.  
And the things bottled inside have finally begun  
To create so much pressure that I'll soon blow up.  
I heard the reverberating footsteps  
Synching up to the beating of my heart,  
And I was positive that unless I got myself together,  
I would watch me fall apart.**_

_**And I can't let that happen again.**_

_**'cause then you'll see my heart  
In the saddest state it's ever been.  
This is no place to try and live my life.**_

_**Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.  
See that line? I never should have crossed it.  
Stop right there. Well I never should have said  
That it's the very moment that  
I wish that I could take back.**_

_**Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.  
See that line? Well I never should have crossed it.  
Stop right there. Well I never should have said  
That it's the very moment that  
I wish that I could take back.**_

_**I'm sorry for the person I became.  
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.  
I'm ready to try and never become that way again  
'cause who I am hates who I've been.**_

_**Who I am hates who I've been.**_

_**Who I am hates who I've been  
And who I am will take the second chance you gave me.  
Who I am hates who I've been**_

_**'cause who I've been only ever made me...**_

_**So sorry for the person I became.  
So sorry that it took so long for me to change.  
I'm ready to try and never become that way again  
'cause who I am hates who I've been.  
**_

_**Who I am hates who I've been.**_


	15. Who Knows

You know that part where I said that this will be the last chapter? Well, I kinda lied. :) ;;. Not intentionally, of course. I had forgotten about the EPILOGUE :D Which is coming next week! But for now, read and enjoy!

And sorry about the late update, by the way. Life's been crazy - you get it. Look for the epilogue on Sunday!!

* * *

Kaiba looked around the crowded lunchroom, willing himself to simply disappear. He heard his name in whispers coming from every direction. They all knew. Thanks to that stupid damn press release. He hadn't decided yet what was his least favorite reaction. He certainly had plenty to choose from. 

There had been the girls in his first period PreCal class who had told him that they were always around, if he needed a shoulder to cry on… whatever the hell that meant. And the jocks in the hallway that had called him a fag… but that wasn't too new either. Whatever. He was above all of that shit. He didn't have to listen to anything they said, he could just tell himself truthfully that he made more per hour than they made per week.

But that didn't make it hurt any less.

Every surreptitious glance and every person who sidestepped him in the hallway reopened that same wound, and he was retreating further and further back into himself. Sometimes, even he had to admit that his money or status didn't solve everything or make him invincible.

And then he realized; that's what was freaking everybody else out too.

The world taught them that cash and fame solved everything, and his life was living proof that it didn't. They were confused, and they were taking it out on him. Knowing that didn't make him any less angry, but at least he understood a little.

Hell, that sounded like something Luka would say.

Seto sighed deeply and closed his laptop. He didn't have any wrappers or anything to throw away; he hadn't been hungry. On the contrary, actually. He was feeling rather sick to his stomach. Maybe it was still the hangover wearing off. Or maybe his day was just sucking that much. That was when he felt the hand on his shoulder.

"I wanted to know how you were holding up, man."

Seto tensed up and began to prepare a rather rude comeback for whoever was insolent enough to approach him like that, but then he saw who it was. Joey stood, appearing sympathetic, his hands jammed in his pockets. He looked at Seto rather uncertainly, as though he wasn't sure exactly what to say or do. Seto looked down.

"I'm fine. Well, not really."

Joey smiled grimly.

"At least you admitted it."

Seto put his laptop back in his briefcase while Joey looked on. It was awkward for both of them. The last time they had met in the lunchroom they would have been more likely to kill one another than casually and caringly inquire as to how the other was doing.

"You look pale," Joey remarked. "Did you have anything to eat?"

"I wasn't hungry," Seto replied quietly, knowing that was not the answer that Joey wanted to hear.

"You should get a sandwich or something," said Joey. "Depriving yourself of food isn't going to make them shut up, you know. But it will help you feel better."

"Food doesn't solve everything," Seto said rather shortly, smirking a little. Joey snorted.

"It solves a lot more than _pride_ does."

Joey's remark hadn't been intended to be so sharp, but it hung ominously over the two of them. Seto look up at him, struck a little bit by his nerve. Joey shrugged, but didn't make any apologies.

"It's the truth. Hey, c'mon, you need a break; I need a way to skip chemistry. Let's get some real food."

Seto gave him an incredulous look.

"Skip school?"

"You catch on quick!" Joey observed rather sarcastically. "But seriously – don't be so surprised. I don't think you can take much more of this – don't look at me like that, nobody could. Hell, you _shouldn't have _to take much more of this. And I wasn't exactly planning on going to fifth period chemistry today anyway. Just get a sandwich or something with me."

"Joey, I…" Seto faltered. However, he suddenly pictured himself walking into his next class and seeing the same myriad of disbelieving expressions and hearing that one horrible snicker. He sighed deeply.

"Alright. But we're taking my car."

"That's the spirit!" Joey exclaimed. "Now follow me to the door off the fine arts hallway. They never watch that one and it's a really short walk to the student lot. We can stash our backpacks behind the trophy case."

"You don't do this often at all, do you, Joey?" Seto inquired wryly. Joey laughed.

"I try to limit it to once or twice a week. None of the teachers say anything because they're just that damned glad to get me out of the way for an hour or so. Now let's haul ass before anybody gets suspicious."

Seto quickly gathered his belongings and followed Joey out the side door to the lunch room. Suddenly, he got a bizarre and almost uncontrollable urge to laugh. It was as though he was seven years old again, stealing an extra cookie from the cafeteria at the orphanage. That was certainly a bittersweet memory. With any luck, he'd be as successful now as he had been then.

"You doing okay back there?" Joey asked quietly. "Haven't burst into flame or suddenly exploded from breaking a rule?"

"Oh, get over it. I've done it before."

"Two minute tardy in the first week as a freshman! Oh dear!" Joey exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, mimicking a sense of fear.

Seto sighed, but clearly more out of amusement than frustration.

"I called a teacher a dumbass, one time, I'll have you know. And I got a two-hour detention."

Joey turned, looking slightly surprised and a bit impressed.

"But did you serve it?"

Seto laughed.

"Hell no. I just slipped the detention supervisor a couple hundred yen and hauled ass out the door."

Joey shook his head.

"Nice."

The two finally reached the door that Joey had talked about earlier. Sure enough, there wasn't a teacher or administrator in sight. Looking around quickly, Joey shoved his worn navy blue bag under the trophy case, along with Seto's briefcase.

"I didn't know you'd be so quick to give that piece of junk up," Joey observed quietly, looking rather amusedly at the rectangular silver case in its current position under the rather large trophy case. Seto shrugged.

"It has a tracking device embedded inside, and it would be absolute hell to get into even if somebody stole it – which isn't likely. It's pretty unassuming."

"I guess so," Joey agreed, shrugging. "So where are you parked?"

"Near the door. I got here pretty early after dropping Mokuba off and I got one of the better spots."

"Sweet. Black convertible, right? Yeah, I see it."

Seto pulled his keys out of his pocket and started for the door. He noticed, however, that Joey held back.

"Aren't you coming, after dragging me all the way over here?" he demanded. Joey nodded, but explained his reasoning.

"If we go out together it'll be suspicious if anybody happens to look out. Tristan and I got caught that way back in junior high. You just go on out and start the car. I'll be a few minutes behind you. Oh – and be quick. It looks like it's raining again, and if you get too wet to dry over the next hour it'll be hard to explain when we get back."

Seto shook his head, wondering why Joey's immense knowledge of how to go about breaking rules continued to surprise him. Looking one last time, he slipped out the door and walked somewhat quickly to his car. Once he had started it up, he heard Joey walking towards the student lot. Seto hardly looked up as the other boy got into the passenger side and shut the door.

"Where to?" he asked quietly, pulling out the parking break and easing out of the parking place.

"I dunno," Joey replied thoughtfully. "There's that burger place up the road where Téa worked freshman year. It's not bad."

"You said _nothing_ about fast food," Seto said shortly. "I would put a gun in my mouth before I ate that. It would have a similar affect, anyway."

Joey laughed.

"I mean, Seto, don't hold back. Just say what you really think of my idea."

Seto laughed a little despite himself.

"Okay, I'm turning right here at the light. We can see what we pass."

The two rode in silence. It was strange, like all the time they spent together. But it was different somehow. It wasn't bad-weird or awkward-weird. It was just a feeling of camaraderie. For Seto, it was like the camaraderie he only felt with Mokuba. And Joey really didn't know quite what to make of it. It was closer than he felt with anybody, even Yugi – his supposed best friend. Suddenly, however, his reverie was split.

"Look at that weird place over there," Joey commented, pointing at a bizarre-looking establishment on Seto's side of the road. Seto recognized it immediately. He passed it every day on his way home from school. It was this strange little solitary place, not a part of a shopping center or strip mall, which looked like it could have been a gas station in a previous life. But the plastic overhang that was once over gas pumps, presuming it was actually a gas station at some point, was now the awning to a strange picnic area with a variety of tables and chairs. A lopsided and weather-worn sign outside said 'Restaurant,' which wasn't overly specific.

"Oh yeah, that one. It's been there years," Seto replied, shrugging it off.

"I know," Joey agreed, "but I've always kinda wanted to go there. It's sorta weird – you know what I'm talking about."

Seto appeared thoughtful for a minute or two. The restaurant was coming closer, and they were going to pass it pretty soon.

"Not gonna lie – I've always wondered about it too. Let's go."

"Are you kidding?" Joey asked, giving Seto a look of shock.

"Yeah, why the hell not?" Seto demanded, laughing a little. "We have time to kill." Joey shrugged. With a quick look over his right shoulder, Seto spun the wheel abruptly to the right. They had just enough space to make it into the restaurant's meager parking area.

"I wonder what they serve here," Joey asked as he got out of the car. Seto shrugged.

"You're presuming it's actually still open, keep that in mind too."

Joey snorted.

"These places never close – at least not for long, anyway. Weird restaurants are like obnoxious people – you can't ever get rid of them permanently because too many people around you actually like them."

Seto resisted the urge to laugh, thinking that laughing as regularly as he would today would be just too weird for him. Joey's logic was good, either way. He decided to go a little closer to check it out. Walking under the corner of the plastic gas-station ceiling/awning/thing, he looked around the old screen door.

"Hey," he called back to Joey. "There's a menu here next to the door."

Joey jogged up, and scanned it over Seto's shoulder.

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed after a few moments of reading. "It's one of those little places that serve big breakfasts all day long!"

Seto shook his head.

"Who knew any of those were still around – especially in metropolitan Domino City."

"Let's eat here," Joey said excitedly, putting a hand on Seto's arm to get his attention. "Please? These places are always so cool. And I could really go for a huge waffle right about now."

Seto gave Joey a get-real look. Joey responded with puppy-dog eyes to rival Mokuba's. Seto shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"You really need to quit that. I could go back to calling you 'the Mutt,' you know."

Joey sighed.

"You wouldn't do that. And I'm hungry. Let's eat or something. We should at least beat the lunch rush."

"Lunch rush?" Seto raised an eyebrow. "There's not a soul in sight."

"Not yet," Joey pointed out, looking almost serious. "Aw, just quit being an idiot and come in so we can get a table. I really need that waffle."

Seto hesitated a minute, checking the watch on his wrist more out of habit than out of genuine concern as to what time it was. He looked up, and as he did so, locked eyes with the still-pathetic-looking Joey.

"Oh _fine_," he at last relented. Joey jumped up, punching the air.

"You won't regret it – these places are _always_ amazing."

"That remains to be seen."

The two walked in, and were a little bit surprised at their surroundings. It was very clean and tidy, much unlike the area outside. It was small enough that all four walls could be seen, along with an old-looking doorframe that supposedly led to the kitchen. The carpet was beige and looked worn, but never the less very clean. The cushions on the booths and chairs were brown leather. There were little vases of violets on each table, and a stack of menus on a desk near the door.

"Not a speck of dust in sight," Joey commented, drawing his finger along the top of a booth. "It's obviously not abandoned."

"And those flowers would be long-wilted," Seto agreed.

"Hey, let's ring this bell," Joey observed, noticing a little brass bell beside the menus. Seto shrugged.

"Why not?"

The bell had a high, tinny sound. But they barely rang it a few seconds before someone

appeared in the kitchen doorway. The person was quite short, and appeared about the age to be one of their mothers. She was somewhat pretty, in an antique or old-fashioned kind of way. Her short-cropped brown hair, streaked with gray, was all but hidden by a red bandana she tied around her head. She was a little bit stout, but her girth seemed to go with her general maternal appearance.

"Well hello," she said, sounding a little surprised, but pleased all the same. "Welcome to the Café des Miracles. Or Café of Miracles – whichever you like. It's French, you know."

Seto and Joey exchanged bemused looks.

"Yeah, I've told my husband we should change it to something more practical. But he insists that it's been the same for the last fifty years – which is true and all, but that doesn't mean it's not a stupid name anyway."

She stopped, shaking her head.

"I'm rambling like crazy – sorry about that. I'm Lena, by the way. You guys must be hungry, or you wouldn't have come. Take a menu and sit down – anywhere you like. I'll be with you in just a second."

Still too surprised to talk or object, Seto and Joey each took menus and sat down a booth kind of near the kitchen door. They sat across from one another, looking around in a bit of a daze.

"Apparently she's not used to customers this early," Joey observed. "I'm afraid we kind of freaked her out."

"Well if it bothered her that much she would keep the door locked," Seto replied, practical as always. Joey shrugged in agreement.

"I guess so. Well, I'm hungry, and I already know what I'm getting – the Waffle Breakfast Supreme. Have you decided yet?"

"No! We've barely been here a minute and a half. Give me a second or two."

"Okay," Joey shrugged. "I'm in no hurry."

"Hmm…" Seto poured over the menu. "I really don't eat breakfast. Occasionally I'll have cereal or something, but that's all. Bacon and eggs? Forget that."

"They have, like, biscuits and gravy and stuff like that," Joey pointed out. Seto ignored him.

"Huh – they have a fruit cup," he observed. "Seems harmless."

Joey shook his head.

"You're going to eat some _real food_. Read that column right there."

He pointed to the column from which he had chosen his own meal. It had a foreboding title, something like 'combo meals'. Everything listed sounded as though it could feed its own third-world country.

"This is all really heavy – do you want to make me sick?" Seto demanded, scrunching up his nose.

Joey sniggered.

"I've seen you barf before – _that's_ nothing special."

"Let's not talk about that night, okay?" Seto asked, giving Joey a look somewhere between amusement and disgust. "I'm getting pancakes. And they apparently come with loads of margarine and maple syrup and a side of bacon. Is that greasy to be 'real food'?"

"Works for me."

About the time they had decided, Lena came around. She gave them each a cup of coffee – apparently the fact that they would require that much was a given.

"You boys decided yet?" she asked, pulling a pad of paper and pencil out of her apron pocket. Joey nodded.

"I'll have the Waffle Supreme, and he'll take the pancake platter," Joey replied promptly, knowing that if left to his own devices Seto would order something pathetic, like a fruit cup.

"That's all, then?" she asked, looking up. They both nodded.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she put the notepad away. "I almost forgot. Do you guys need any cream or sugar for your coffees?"

Joey looked up slowly, meeting Seto's gaze across the table. Memories of the last time that they had shared a cup of coffee suddenly registered, and they both bit their lips vigorously to suppress the onslaught of hysterical laughter.

"I think we'll both take both," Seto said, making an effort to enunciate the words so that they wouldn't cause him to lose control and laugh uncontrollably. Sensing an inside joke, Lena smiled.

"Okay. I'll bring the tray by – then I'll get your food ready. There will be plenty to go around – I promise. I know how teenage boys eat."

Once she left, the two gave into the silent gales of laughter that remained as a result of the coffee remark.

"You know," Joey gasped, "that we are the two damned _weirdest_ people _ever_?"

"Yeah," Seto replied, likewise struggling for air. "We are. I guess it's good that we finally get along, then? I mean, the two strangest people in the world not being friends – that wouldn't make any sense at all."

"You're right. It wouldn't. Hey – when our food gets here, I think yours comes with cinnamon apples as a side. Mine might too, I'm not sure. But if it doesn't, can I try some of yours?"

Seto laughed. Some things never change.

"Sure, but you better take some of the greasy crap too."

"I'm not touching that," Joey replied, shaking his head. "That's all yours."

So there they were. Acquaintances? Certainly. Friends? Possibly. Brothers-in-arms? Definitely. They had a strange bond – one that had been built by fate. Despite years of opposition, it was something that neither of them could get past nor overstep. It took a lifetime of shared misery to create, but only a single night of shared misery to realize. And that was truly what it meant to be Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler – fellow Teens Dealing with the Effects of Domestic Violence.

* * *

"**Who Knows?" – Avril Lavigne**

_**Why do you look so familiar?  
I could swear that I have seen your face before  
I think I like that you seem sincere  
I think I'd like to get to know you a little bit more**_

_**I think there's something more  
Life's worth living for**_

_**Who knows what could happen  
Do what you do  
Just keep on laughing  
One thing's true  
There's always a brand new day**_

_**I'm gonna live today like it's my last day**_

_**How do you always have an opinion  
And how do you always find  
The best way to compromise  
We don't need to have a reason  
We don't need anything  
We're just wasting time**_

_**I think there's something more  
Life's worth living for**_

_**Who knows what could happen  
Do what you do  
Just keep on laughing  
One thing's true  
There's always a brand new day**_

_**I'm gonna live today like it's my last day**_

_**Find yourself  
Cause I can't find you  
Be yourself  
Who are you?**_

_**Find yourself  
Cause I can't find you  
Be yourself  
Who are you?**_

_**Who knows what could happen  
Do what you do  
Just keep on laughing  
One thing's true  
There's always a brand new day**_

_**I'm gonna live today like it's my last day**_

_**So you go and make it happen  
Do your best  
Just keep on laughing**_

_**I'm telling you, there's always a brand new day…**_

* * *

**-FIN-**

* * *

**Tune in next week for the epilogue and authoress note! And just for those of you who have made special requests, Luka comes back:D  
**


	16. EPILOGUE

Epilogue time! Yay. Now you get to see where they all end up and how it all ties neatly together in the end. Well, not quite, but they're all doing loads better than they were when it started! Please stick around for the authoress note at the end, too. Love galore!

* * *

About Two Years Later…

* * *

Luka flipped through the manila file-folder on her lap, the stacks of papers rustling between her neon green fingernails. When she reached the end she looked up, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Well Seto, it seems to me like you're doing okay," she said, smiling a little sadly. "Looks like it's almost time to let go."

Seto smiled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah… I guess I am doing better. I'm almost afraid to say it, you know? It's been a long time."

"About a year and a half, we've done one-on-one therapy" Luka agreed. "Yeah, because you were my first 'official' patient after I got my degree. I guess that _is_ a pretty long time. You know, though, if it hadn't been for all of your hard work to get everything sorted out, it could have taken a whole lot longer. You owe yourself a lot of credit."

Seto shook his head.

"No, not really. If it were up to me, I'd still be where I was back in second-year, when I met all of you. I really owe everything to you and Joey. And Mokuba."

"Well, we just got you started. You've honestly done your best," Luka smiled, making definite eye contact to assure him that what she said was true. "And there's a lot to be said for that."

"Thanks. Yeah, I guess I did do everything I could. I didn't want to feel like that anymore."

"I know," Luka replied, leaning forward in her chair. "And when you realized that you didn't have to, you started making progress in the right direction. That's all it took. We helped a little in the beginning, but after that it's been all you."

Seto looked up at the clock, and allowed his eyes to travel wistfully across the heavily decorated walls of Luka's office. She shared the building with another psychologist, but her office was much nicer than his. Her collections of psychedelic rock posters and brightly-colored bean bag chairs were a little overwhelming at first, but after awhile it started to feel like a 'safe place', as she put it. A place where someone could say whatever was going through their mind and nothing would come out sounding stupid. That's how the room was. That's how Luka was.

"I almost don't want to be better," Seto admitted, laughing a little as he said it. "I kind of like coming here and talking and being able to say and admit whatever."

Luka gave him a look of understanding, and moved to sit on the sofa beside him. She put an arm around him.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said. "Neither is Joey, and neither is Mokie. Any of you guys can come back whenever you need. And the TDEDV will always meet on Saturdays, too. Just because you're okay now doesn't mean that you can't come to meetings and we have to pretend that we don't know each other. You can visit us whenever you want. I'd love for you to hang out and help some of the new kids."

Seto nodded.

"I'll be at Tokyo U next year. Which is pretty close."

"Yeah," Luka agreed. "Leaving for college… you need to quit making me feel old. All of you guys do that. Christina called up the other day to say that she's engaged. She's going to invite all the kids from the meetings to the wedding, so keep next April open."

"I will," Seto replied thoughtfully. A few minutes passed in semi-silence, with only Luka's rock-and-roll station playing softly in the background. She finally spoke up.

"I understand how well you're doing, just don't forget to take the medicine, every day. I don't know how long you'll need it, but it will be awhile. And remember, the depression that I had it prescribed for has nothing to do with your stepfather. It just made it more difficult to cope with the post-traumatic stress."

"Yeah… I'll still take it," Seto promised.

"And just don't forget," Luka emphasized, "it's not your fault. I know I've said it a million times, but it's the truth. You know the cause of the post-traumatic stress disorder, of course, but remember that the depression is nothing more than a chemical imbalance. You need the chemical serotonin like a diabetic needs insulin."

"I understand that. And so does Mokuba. He helps me remember to take it before we leave for school in the morning. But if I forget to take the medicine, for awhile, will things get bad again? Like they did before?"

"Well, not really like they were before," Luka explained. "Not ever that bad. When you really got to understanding the concepts of suppressed memories and all of that, you took a big step. Were you to go off the medicine, you'd likely just experience regular depression symptoms, like insomnia or a change in appetite."

"All right. When I need to renew the prescription, I can just ask a regular doctor, right?"

"Yeah. And if they need a note from me, I can write one up."

"Okay. And Luka?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't have another patient this afternoon, right?"

"Nope, I'm free until eight. That's when I go out with John."

"Is John the bartender?"

"No, John's the DJ."

"Whatever. I lose track. Okay, so Joey and I were going to go up to the KaibaCorp building this afternoon so that I could do what you suggested a few weeks ago. We picked today because it's a Sunday afternoon, so it will be practically empty, and Joey isn't scheduled to work. Would you be interested in coming with us?"

"I'd be honored," Luka replied sincerely, standing up to get her coat. "Your car is in the shop, right? So who's driving?"

"Joey is. He said that he'd be here around four."

Luka made a face.

"I always thank heaven for airbags whenever I get in the car with that kid."

Seto nodded.

"I know what you mean. He goes around corners a little quickly."

"Understatement, but thanks for giving him credit for trying."

The two walked out to the lobby and chatted while they waited around for Joey's silver truck to pull up. Seto had given him a loan to get a used one about six months ago, and Joey had been steadily paying it off ever since. They both knew that Seto would have been happy just to buy the truck, but Joey's self-sufficiency wouldn't allow for that.

"You said four, right?" Luka asked.

"That's what he told me."

"Well, I can't believe it. He's actually on time."

Joey pulled up in front of the doors, and Seto and Luka ran out quickly, their shadows long against the mid-afternoon sun.

"Shotgun!" Luka shouted, throwing herself in the front seat beside Joey. Seto shook his head and got in the back, putting his briefcase on the seat beside him.

"So where to, sir?" Joey asked in his best snobbish-chauffer voice. Seto snickered, having become accustomed to Joey's frequent sarcasm regarding his wealth and status.

"KaibaCorp. Hello to you too, by the way."

"Hey man. You know I'm only kidding. So how did today go?"

"Good, but talk _and_ drive, mister," Luka said, attempting to sound serious and failing. "I have to be home by eight. And knowing you guys, we'll take some terrible detour and need all four of those hours."

"Ooh, why eight?" Joey asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. Luka rolled her eyes.

"I'm getting coffee with John."

"That's John the dry-cleaner, right?"

Seto's laughter could be heard from the backseat as Luka sighed.

"No, he's a DJ!"

"Sorry, sorry. If you'd try to date the same guy two weekends in a row, it might be a little bit easier."

"Well, guys are stupid; you of all people should know that."

Joey shook his head.

"I surrender. I really don't have a good comeback for that."

"Ha."

When the exchange was finished, the truck was already on KaibaCorp's main block. Joey smiled widely, hardly able to contain his enthusiasm as he pulled into the parking place labeled 'CEO'. Seto rolled his eyes.

"You've been waiting all your life to do that, haven't you?"

Joey shrugged modestly.

"Well, preferably in a tank. With your car _in_ the parking place. At least, that was the original plan. But then you stopped being a dumbass."

"No, I was never a dumbass," Seto argued jokingly. "You just got a clue."

"Whatever. I always – "

"Hey you guys!"

The boys' 'argument' was interrupted by a shout from the doorway of the building.

"Hey Mokuba!" Luka exclaimed, waving at the preteen boy. She looked over at Joey and Seto. "You guys didn't tell me he was going to be in on this too."

"I didn't know," Seto replied, sounding surprised himself. "Joey, did you?"

"Well, I might have mentioned something…"

"Now I have a full-out audience," Seto sighed.

"Don't think of it that way," Luka responded, patting him on the shoulder. "Think of it as moral support. And we deserve to be in on the victory too."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Upon reaching the door, the group met up with Mokuba. Now almost thirteen, Mokuba was about a head taller than he had been before. He'd also cut his hair a little bit to go into middle school, after a prolonged argument with Seto over the matter. It was now about shoulder length, and he wore it tied back with his blue bandana most of the time.

Seto swiped his key card and the doors opened, allowing for them to walk in together. After greeting the receptionist at the lobby counter, the four walked towards the elevator.

"So you think you're ready for this, Seto?" Joey asked as he pressed the button to call an elevator to their floor.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Of course he's ready," Luka replied, massaging Seto's shoulders as they stepped into the elevator. Mokuba laughed.

"You look like he's about to go into a boxing ring or something."

"Well, it _is_ a battle," Luka replied confidently. "A battle of wits."

"Indeed," Joey replied, picking up his best sportscaster accent. "One young man, backed by three of his closest friends, facing the opponent of – "

"Joey, we really could do without a running commentary," Luka interrupted.

"Sorry."

As the four rose up floor after floor, the tension seemed to rise as well. For you see, there was one chapter left in the book of the things that Seto had not been facing up to. And strangely enough, it had been the closest thing to him during the entire ordeal.

Before Seto moved into the CEO office suite, there had been a portrait of the previous KaibaCorp CEO placed behind the desk. It was about three feet tall by two and a half feet across, and was rather formidable in size and expression. Upon his takeover of the corporation, Seto had relegated it to the fifth-floor marketing lab, as this was where his stepfather had been known to spend much of his time. As he put it, this would 'better bring to mind the true memory and nature of the company's founder'.

Unbeknownst to the employees, there were ulterior motives to moving the picture, the main one being that Seto was terrified of it. It was a perfect likeness of his adoptive father in every respect. The suit was perfectly pressed, the eyebrows were narrowed, and the mouth was set in a strange smirk that suggested a knowledge he possessed and the viewer did not. At least, this is how Seto remembered it. He hadn't actually seen the picture in a good eight or ten years. In fact, Seto hadn't seen _any_ picture of his stepfather since his death.

Hence the problem.

Seto was afraid that this was the one part of the process that he just couldn't handle. Seeing that look on Gozaburo's face. Seeing the way his hair was always combed just perfectly, whether he was speaking politely and reservedly to future customers or striking in anger his ten-year-old son.

And Luka had told him to do this, to actually go up to the portrait and look at it. In fact, she'd even suggested talking to it. That had sounded crazy to Seto at first, but somehow it made sense. If the picture could inspire fear in him just like its subject once did, perhaps speaking to it could put his mind at rest. But it wasn't going to be easy.

Oh, it certainly wasn't going to be easy.

The way Luka had explained it, he could finally tell Gozaburo the truth. How he felt about the violence, the tears, the too-high expectations. And in doing so, Seto could tell himself. He could admit to the portrait and to himself all of the pain and anger that Gozaburo's actions caused him, and in doing so, overcome what remained of his fear. When she explained it, it almost made sense.

So that's why he'd agreed to this.

He had originally planned on doing it alone, or maybe just with Joey. But having Luka and Mokuba here, well, that was just more inspiration not to go back on it. Not that Joey would have let him do that anyway.

Somehow suddenly, the elevator came to a stop. The occupants looked around at one another.

"Well," Seto sighed as the doors opened. "Let's go."

Turning on some lights beside the elevator, he led the group down the hallway and past the row of offices, to the back where the portrait was hung. As they rounded the corner, Seto closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I believe in you," Mokuba said softly, squeezing his brother's hand before walking to stand with Joey and Luka a few feet back. "We all do."

Drawing on the strength that this remark had given him, Seto opened his eyes quickly.

And there it was.

The portrait looked just as he remembered it. The same gilded gold frame, labeled with the name that he could hardly _say_ this time two years ago. Gozaburo Kaiba: Founder and CEO 1970 – 1992. The man in the picture was leaned to the side, his chin rested on his fist. That was often the way he sat when he appraised the work of an associate. Or the midnight work of his adopted son. Seto blinked a couple of times, wondering what felt so strange.

Something was missing. The fear, maybe? Or it could have been the shame he felt when looking into the gaze of the man in the picture. The wrenching of his heart and the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach weren't there, like he expected. More out of curiosity, he walked up and examined the portrait more closely. It was almost like a dead body, in a strange sort of a way…

"Seto," Luka said softly, "is there anything you want to tell him?"

"Yes," Seto replied. "There is."

Joey took a deep breath, and Mokuba took Joey's hand. The two of them watched Seto intently as he folded his arms behind his back almost like a soldier told to stand at ease.

"Gozaburo."

Seto spoke the first word firmly, in a way that he couldn't recall saying it before. Luka nodded approvingly behind him. Joey looked over at her and gave her a weak smile.

"You treated me very badly," Seto continued. "No, you treated me unbearably. By your hand, I went through ordeals that no human being should be expected to endure. And after it was over, I thought that I would _never_ be okay again. I thought that you had won. But I was wrong. With help from friends and family, and a hell of a lot of my own strength, I've risen above it. And I choose not to hate you for it, though it would be an easy decision to make. I carry your title and your name, but I choose not to carry your memory or your stain on my life."

Seto paused and sighed, remembering the last words that Luka had told him to say.

"I am above that."

When it was apparent that Seto was through, the three behind him spontaneously burst into applause.

"That's the _shit_, man!" Joey exclaimed, clapping him on the back. Mokuba raced over and hugged him tightly around the waist. Luka, not wanting to be left out, walked over and grabbed all three boys in a monstrous group hug. The four stood there together for an amount of time that was hard to say. Mokuba's height and Luka's pink hair made them a rather strange bunch, but there was hardly a more joyous group to be found in all of Domino, or for that matter all Japan.

Finally Luka stepped away.

"You guys are making me cry," she said, blinking sharply and brushing her finger across her cheek. Joey laughed, despite the blurriness in his own eyes.

"Yeah, this is probably enough lovey-stuff for now. Let's celebrate! We need some ice cream, people!"

Seto smiled, looking over to him.

"Not waffles?" he inquired weakly, still trying to regain composure.

"Nah, not waffles. We get waffles on Thursdays during fifth period, remember? On Sunday, we should get, you know, sundaes."

"So basically," Mokuba laughed, "Joey remembers his days of the week in terms of food."

"Best way, folks. Now you guys think I'm kidding, but I'm not. We're driving my car, and I'm stopping for ice cream. And I'm buying some for you guys too, like it or not."

"Oh yeah," Seto laughed, "_you're_ buying."

"Well, I probably shouldn't have worded it _exactly_ that way," Joey admitted. Luka shook her head. It was in this way that they headed back to the elevator, down to the car, and to Domino's favorite ice cream and soda Shoppe. Joking, laughing, and falling over each other. Because you know, that's really what it's all about.

Oh, and for what it's worth, Seto ended up buying.

* * *

FIN

* * *

Important Authoress Note: 

Same Time Next Week has been a total whirlwind to write! This story took a lot of research and imagination. I would like to thank you all for the time and energy you've put into reading. Y'all are what keep me writing, along with the fact that if I don't write, I'll explode. Lol. But seriously. It means a whole lot.

Finally, I want to take a moment to say that domestic violence is real. I mean, you all obviously know that much, but think about it a second. Whether you know it or not, the odds are overwhelming that you've come into contact with a survivor or even a sufferer. A vast 78 percent of violence occurs at home. 40-60 percent of people that are violent to others in their lives are violent to their families. And although the main character of this story both happened to be male, one in four _females _will experience domestic violence at one point or another in her life. This is a big deal.

Although the group mentioned in this story, the TDEDV, is completely fictional, there are agencies out to help kids that have gone through stuff like this. Plenty of people, many sufferers themselves, want to help others recover. The list on Wikipedia, where I did a lot of my research, is crazy-long.

The number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800/799-SAFE (7233). Also be sure and check out the 'Love is Not Abuse' site. It's a really well-done website loaded with information.

If you're suffering, or a friend is suffering, make the call. We don't all have amazing little brothers like Mokuba to throw brochures in our laps and make us go through with getting help.

Thanks for reading this and getting its message – keep it all in mind next time you're looking for a worthy cause to contribute to. Keep an eye out for other Shekiah stories, and take care of yourselves, okay? ;)

Much love (as always),

Shekiah

P.S. Is it yaoi? I don't know. That's up to you to determine. Seriously – I'm not saying one way or the other. I will admit that that was not my intent when I started, but if you took it that way, s'cool. ;) This one could go either way.

And here's a full list of the soundtrack songs! The ones with bullets o were added after the chapter-publish-dates. I'm burning a CD for my car! ;)

o You've Got a Friend – James Taylor/Carole King  
o Wonderful – Everclear  
o Secrets – Good Charlotte  
o Reject – Green Day  
o Because of You – Kelly Clarkson  
How to Save a Life – the Fray  
Cold – Crossfade  
Perfect World – Simple Plan  
Long Way to Happy – Pink  
o Speeding Cars – Imogen Heap  
If Everyone Cared – Nickelback  
Stay With You – Goo Goo Dolls  
Superman – Five for Fighting  
Who I Am Hates Who I've Been – Relient K  
Who Knows – Avril Lavigne

And some others that I didn't use, but I give loads of credit for inspiration because I'd listen to them while I wrote:

Face Down – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
I've Got Money Now – Pink  
Naked – Avril Lavigne  
Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows) – Fall Out Boy  
My Heart Dances – Elton John/Tim Rice  
The Panic in Me – Elton John/Tim Rice  
Trust Me – Elton John/Tim Rice

Oh, and of course, the things I don't own (I'm obligated to write this, but you're not obligated to read it.)

The canon characters/locations (Seto, Joey, Mokuba, KaibaCorp, Domino City, Blue-Eyes … anything you recognized.) Any of the songs  
Pocky (Chapter two.)  
The name "Luka" (I got the name from the Suzanne Vega song of the same title. Although the character is totally original.)  
_Penthouse_ Magazine (Recall the brief reference in chapter eleven. Eeeg, I wouldn't want to own that anyway.)  
Shonen Manga (Brief reference, see chapter thirteen.)  
MarioKart (Again, chapter thirteen.)

* * *

**One last time: I HEART YOU ALL!**


End file.
